Charisma
by IneffableStorm
Summary: Controlling her quirk was never easy. Mayumi Storms is a half-Japanese girl with a power that's equally troublesome as it is powerful. She inherited it from her father, but it seems more like a curse. She enrolled into U.A. High School in hopes of getting a handle on both of her powers, determined to make something good out of herself, no matter what's thrown her way.
1. Prologue

_**Charisma- **__**cha·ris·ma**_

_**/kəˈrizmə/**_

_**noun**_

_**1\. compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.  
"she enchanted guests with her charisma"**_

_**Syn. charm, presence, aura, personality, force of personality, strength of character, individuality**_

_**2\. a divinely conferred power or talent.**_

* * *

**~12:34 PM~**

Children laugh as they run around the playground, giving chase and having fun. A group surround a young girl as she happily showed them her hair.

"Wow!" one child said, absolutely in awe. "It's so pretty!"

"I wanna touch it!" another exclaimed.

"You're so lucky! I wish my hair was like your's!"

The girl blinked then smiled. "Why would you want that? I think your hair's really pretty, too."

"What?" the other asked bashfully. "You can't mean that!"

"No, no, no," she insisted. "I really like it! Promise!"

This caused the other girl to beam proudly. The chatter among the group quickly turned to the topic of quirks -if they had one yet, what their parents had, what they hoped to get, etc.-. The young child in the center of the -still growing- group happily explained her quirk to her classmates.

"Mama says I have Papa's quirk, that's why my hair's this way," said the girl at the center of the group.

"What quirk is that?" a curious boy asked, which received murmurs of agreement.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Mama said she'd tell me when I was bigger."

Before the conversation could keep going, one of the teachers called the end of recess. The group quickly dispersed and headed back into the school building, chattering and giggling as they went. Just as the little girl was about to go inside with her friends, the teacher stopped her, a kind smile on his face.

"I need to speak with you after class. Don't worry, you're not in trouble."

* * *

**~3:16 PM~**

The school day ended soon after that. The girl from before staying seated at her desk. She waited patiently for her teacher to approach her.

"Now, Mayumi," he said, pulling out the seat in front of her and sitting down. "I noticed you've gotten close to some of your classmates. It's good to see you making friends, but don't you think they're a bit unnecessary?"

The girl looked confused.

"What do you mean, Sensei?"

He sighed and shook his head as though the answer was obvious.

"Well, it's half-way through the school-year, after all. Soon, you'll be moving up a grade, and you probably won't have the same friends next year. People outgrow one another quickly. And, considering your quirk came in before most of your peers, they may become jealous of you."

A smirk settled on the man's face as he took a strand of her hair and let the vibrant colors run between his fingers.

"Such a fascinating color. So much more appealing than the plain brown it used to be."

The girl shifted, uneasy. She may only be four-years-old, but she couldn't doubt the odd feeling of fear that started in her belly. In response to the unease she felt, she shifted in a way that caused her hair to slip out of his grasp.

"Sensei, Mama will be here soon.."

She stood up out of her chair, and her teacher did the same. His large frame blocked the door from her view.

"'_Mayumi: truth, gentle, beauty.'_ That's what your name means, right? Your parents named you accordingly, I can see."

"S-Sensei, I really should be going. Mama will worry."

He chuckled a bit, fixing his glasses on his nose. "There's no need to fret, Mayumi. I'm sure she wouldn't mind us chatting a while longer. Say, what's your favorite candy? I can take you to go get some. We'll be back before your mother-"

A voice cleared their throat from the classroom doorway, causing the teacher to scowl before turning around with a smile.

"Mayumi," the woman said, voice hard as her brown eyes never left the man. "Go out front. Your father's waiting in the car."

The little girl hesitated before nodding, scurrying around her teacher and out the door. She felt relieved that her mother arrived, and easily found her way to the parked car in the front of the school. Her father sat in the driver's seat, smiling at his daughter.

"How was school, Mayu?"

She and her father chatted for a bit before her mother came out of the building and got in the passenger's seat with a sigh. Making sure her daughter was buckled up, she gave a tired smile.

"How about we have your favorite for dinner tonight, sweety?"

A happy grin stretched across her face before she nodded her head enthusiastically.

* * *

**10:46 PM**

Mayumi brushed her teeth dutifully in the bathroom, wearing her soft pink nightgown. It was late, but she had stayed up to read one of her favorite storybooks. Usually, she'd be asleep by now, which is most likely why she heard her mother sobbing from the kitchen. Curious and worried, she rinsed out her mouth, dried her face, and quietly tip-toed down the hallway.

She couldn't see her mother, but the older woman's shadow stretched on the hallway wall. Soon, her father's shadow encompassed her's in a hug.

"It's already started!" her mother wailed, trying to keep her voice and crying low in volume. "Her teacher was..! Oh, my poor baby!"

"Shhh," came his gentle and smooth voice. "Calm down, Cheiro. We knew something like this would happen the moment her hair changed. All we have to do is-"

"I will not put our daughter through home-schooling! She needs to socialize like a normal child. It's that damn quirk! Why did she have to take after you?"

"M.. My quirk?" Mayumi said softly to herself, one hand unconsciously grasping her own hair.

"If we don't do this, then she could be kidnapped by any number of people. Classmates, teachers, neighbors; anyone who sees her and has a bad reaction from the quirk could be a threat. Would you rather our daughter be safe and lonely, or social and gone?"

The sobbing grew louder for a moment. Clearly Cheiro was distraught.

"Heide…" she managed to croak out. "You know I love Mayumi. But I don't know how much of the stress I can handle. If we hadn't showed up in time today, then Mr. Sotashi would have…"

Her father sighed.

"I know. My mother had to go through the same thing when I was a child after my quirk first started showing." He ran a hand through his dark blue and silver locks that mimicked a cloudless night sky full of stars. "She was just as concerned for my safety as you are with Mayu, but look how I've turned out? I have a beautiful wife, and dazzling child. If she could do it, so can you. Okay?"

The little girl could hear her mother sniffling before giving an affirmative 'alright'. Her dad pulled her mom into another comforting embrace.

"Everything's going to work out just fine. I promise."

'_Oh, father.. If only you could have kept that promise. Then maybe things wouldn't be the way they are now.'_


	2. Permission

_**Mayumi, **__**真優美**__**, "truth, gentle, beauty"**_

_**Honestly, the idea for this fanfic came from a series I read several years ago called 'Gracelings'. It's really good, and I thought it fit in perfectly with BHNA.**_

* * *

Here's the sad truth: all men are not created equal.

If they were, then I wouldn't be here now. People see me, and they instantly say things like how much of a wonder I am. How rare my quirk is. Of all the things I could get away with if I just tried. How I could be one of the best villains or heroes if I so choose it.

People like my father and I are told of how great we can be solely based on our quirks alone; whereas, they don't spare those with common quirks a second glance.

My mother fell into the second category.

Her quirk was fairly simple, really. She could manipulate atoms in one of two ways: slow them down, or speed them up. Sure, she could cause the occasional fire, or make water into ice to put on bruises, but no one took much stock into her abilities. They didn't see the potential such a quirk had.

I did, though.

I developed my mother's quirk when I was nearing the age of seven. A man had tried to drag me to his car while I was retrieving something my father asked me to fetch, and I clawed at his hand. I screamed, and his sleeve caught fire. That day, I learned I had two quirks instead of one. And now that my mother is gone, I swore I'd make people see the use of her quirk through me.

My name is Mayumi Storms, and this is how I started my journey.

* * *

The front door opened, and in walked a man. His shoulders were slouched, and his tie partially undone, shirt half-way un-tucked and wrinkled. The sunglasses he wore came off, revealing two emerald eyes. He ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. How he missed the natural, blue and silver locks he once had.

But, as his weary eyes spotted his daughter, he knew that all of his work troubles were worth it. Sure, that could be her quirk talking, but he knew he'd love her, with or without her hereditary ability.

She was on her laptop, presumably finishing up her latest school-work. Her sunset colored hair was a mess, though, it wasn't like she needed to brush it for anything. And, when he says 'sunset colored', he means it's as though her locks were the living embodiment of a real life sunset. It had several different shades of red with orange, pink, and purple mixed into it. She had slightly duller green eyes than he, himself, had as well. Honestly, she looked more like him these days than her mother.

That thought made him wince.

He tried his best not to think of what happened all those years ago.

The 15-year-old girl looked up from her work and smiled brightly at her father, making him smile back. At least that was one trait of his wife that he could find in his daughter. Well, that and her other quirk, that is.

"Dad, you're home! God, I was so bored!"

She jumped off the couch, laptop perched precariously on the arm of the seat. The teen ran up and hugged her father, wrinkling her nose as she looked up at him.

"You still look weird with blonde hair," she declared.

Heide let out a short laugh, ruffling her hair. "Yes, well, maybe I'll try black next time around?"

The girl beamed and nodded her head, letting his torso go so he could take off his shoes and get comfortable.

"How's your school-work coming along?" he asked, placing his shoes aside and putting on house slippers.

A wide yet somewhat sheepish grin crossed her face as she twirled a strand of her hair. "Weeeelll.." she drawled out, making it clear she had something to ask of her dad. "I was going over the school plan, and I realized that I'll be starting high school courses soon."

Heide nodded, setting his coat on the coat rack. "So you are."

"And, I was wondering.." Mayumi started twirling a strand of her hair, a habit she does whenever she wants things. "If I could go to an _actual _high school this year. Mainly, U.A.?"

This stopped him in his tracks, mind flashing back to when she was four, and he had talked with his wife about their child's schooling.

"Sweetheart… You know why I can't let you do that."

"Yes, but if anyone's going to help me get control over my quirks, it'll be the top high school for training heroes, right? Then I won't have to worry about my quirk randomly flaring out!"

Sighing heavily, the man rubbed the bridge of his nose. He knew U.A. could be a great way for her to learn control and restraint in her abilities, and that she wanted to prove that her mother's quirk was capable of being useful. She wouldn't give up. Mayumi could be stubborn as a mule when she set her mind to something, and if he wasn't careful, her quirk would kick in and make him oblige.

"But you don't have control of it now," he reminded. "On the way there, countless people will see you, then other students in the hallways, faculty members, and your classmates. At any given time, your quirk can go off and effect any number of people around you without you realizing it. Do you want to have _another_ incident?"

The redhead wrinkled her nose -another habit, this one from her father- before sighing. Her head dropped as she looks down at the floor.

"...I want to do it…. For Mom."

Almost as soon as he heard her defeated tone, his eyes softened. God, he really didn't have a backbone when it came to saying no to his daughter. She had such a sad expression, like he just stole the wind out of her sails. How could he possibly be responsible for her not achieving her dreams?

Maybe her quirk was affecting his thinking, because his next words flew out of his mouth without him even thinking about them.

"Alright, Mayu. I'll let you apply for the hero course."

Instantly, she brightened again, the clouds moving out of the way of the sun. She grinned her widest grin and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best, Dad!"

Chuckling softly, he patted her head.

"You're welcome. But we still have to find a way to negate your quirk on the others," Heide reminded.

This caused the teen to tilt her head in confusion.

"And how are we going to do that, Dad?"


	3. Hazards of Tempers

_**haz·ard·ous**_

_**/ˈhazərdəs/**_

_**adjective**_

_**1\. risky; dangerous.  
"we work in hazardous conditions"**_

_**Syn: dangerous, risky, unsafe, perilous, precarious, insecure, tricky, unpredictable, uncertain, high-risk, touch-and-go, fraught with danger**_

* * *

Perhaps it was the sixty-six points Mayumi secured -thirty-three from fighting, and thirty-three for rescue points-, or maybe it was the information sheet she turned in before the entrance exam. But, either way, on the first day of high school, the sunset-haired teen found herself outside the prestigious U.A. building.

What she wore over her uniform was.. less than conventional, but the principal, Nezu, had approved of the 'outfit' in order to prevent a mass-wide epidemic of sorts.

She could barely see out of it.

Sighing softly, but keeping her head held high, Mayumi made her way to the class she had been assigned. The teen took a deep breath as she made her way up to the large brown door with big '1-A' written in red going down it, the middle of the 'A' being the door's window.

"This is it," she muttered to herself, before opening the door and stepping inside.

A majority of the students' heads perked up upon seeing the new figure enter, all of them showing confusion when seeing what she was wearing.

"Is that the teacher," a pink-skinned girl asked a boy with spiky red hair.

"I dunno. Looks kinda small to be a teacher."

Whispers rippled through the students as she hesitated in the doorway. It didn't take her long to spot a desk besides the teacher's own. Her father had talked with the U.A. higher-ups, and it was decided she was to be close by Aizawa in case he needed to use his quirk to cancel her's. She made quick strides and sat in place, gloved hands folded neatly on her desk-top.

"Good morning!" greeted a tall boy with blue hair. He walked away from a green haired boy, and brunette girl. "My name is Tenya Iida, and I'm from the Soumei Private Academy. And you are?"

Mayumi bit her lip, taking out the whiteboard in her backpack and a marker, and writing her hello.

'_Nice to meet you. My name is Mayumi Storms.'_

He nodded once he finished reading. "It's a pleasure. If I may be so bold as to ask why you're wearing.. a hazmat suit? It doesn't qualify under the school's strict uniform policy."

It was true. The redheaded teen remembered exactly how she came to wear the ridiculously large and yellow suit.

"_But we still have to find a way to negate your quirk," her father said, looking down at his daughter._

"_And how are we going to do that, Dad?"_

"_Simple!" he exclaimed. "Our quirk works by us touching someone, or them seeing us. Our hair acts as an amplifier. It's flashy to catch attention, but has another purpose. That's why I had to dye my hair to get a job around people, but I also wear sunglasses to keep from making eye contact with anyone. I don't have to worry about touching my co-workers because I have it under my control."_

_Mayumi nodded, listening to every word her father said._

"_So, to cut risk down, you'll have to cover your hair, eyes, and any skin to prevent any physical contact from others."_

_She frowned. "So.. I wear a jumpsuit, sunglasses, and dye my hair?"_

_He smiled and patted her head. "No need to change your hair. It's too pretty to mess up, right? Don't worry. I'll head down to U.A and have a chat with the principal about alternative clothes for you. Sound good?"_

_Mayumi beamed and nodded. "Mhm! Thanks, Dad!"_

Sweat-dropping, the girl rued not going with her father when he went to U.A. by himself. He had a habit of choosing the weirder things in life.

'_I have special permission from the principal to wear this in order to prevent my quirk from affecting everyone.'_

She knew of no other way to phrase her answer; although, it was, admittedly, quite lengthy to write out on a small whiteboard. Iida nodded again, this time thoughtfully.

"And what is your quirk?"

This caused her to stiffen. The voice did not belong to the blue haired boy in front of her. It sounded rough and well past the point of rude. She looked behind Iida to see a blonde boy with spiky hair and red eyes staring intently at her. He was leaned back in his chair, feet on his desk. The aura he was putting off was in no way friendly or welcoming.

Erasing her previous answer, Mayumi wrote again.

'_Pardon? My quirk?'_

This made him snarl. "What? You hard of hearing? I said, what's your damn quirk? Why do you get to be out of uniform because of it? Do you think you're stronger than me? And don't write your answer down. You got a voice, don'tcha? I heard you muttering outside the door. Are we not good enough for ya?"

With each word, the kid was getting more riled up, his expression almost murderous. Mayumi was surprised that someone like him had even made it into the hero course.

As she got to writing her response, a small explosion caused her whiteboard to be launched out of her hands. She let out a small gasp as the blonde leered down at her.

When had he left his seat and crossed the room to her desk?

"I said," he grumbled, voice hoarse with anger. "Don't fucking write it down. I'll prove who's stronger right here and now!"

As he raised his hand, more explosions going off in his palm, Iida gawked in shock. Sure, the guy had seemed like a delinquent, but surely one trying to aspire to be a hero wouldn't threaten their own classmates so frivolously!

Mayumi closed her eyes tightly as she waited for the impact when-

"That's enough," a man said, sounding tired and not the least bit concerned. "Take your seats."

The brash boy sent her a nasty glare as he looked down his nose at her. "This isn't over, ya hear me?" Then he went back to his seat.

Sighing softly, the redhead leaned down and picked up her whiteboard. It was a bit charred, but still usable, luckily.

"Welcome to U.A.'s hero course."

He undid his yellow sleeping bag and took a sip of some kind of juice pouch. He then managed to stand up and unzip the bag the rest of the way.

"It took eight seconds before you all shut up. That's not gonna work. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that."

The class was silent as they took in the man's appearance. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hair wild and unkempt. He had a large, silver scarf and black clothes.

"Hello. I'm Shouto Aizawa, your teacher." Reaching into his sleeping bag, he produced a blue, red, and white jumpsuit. "Right, let's get to it. Put these on, and head outside."


	4. Midnight Excursions

_**Grace**_

_**/ɡrās/**_

_**noun  
1\. simple elegance or refinement of movement.  
"she moved through the water with effortless grace"**_

_**Syn. elegance, stylishness, poise, finesse, charm**_

_**2\. courteous, good will**_

"_**at least he has the grace to admit his debt to her"**_

_**Syn. courtesy, courteousness, politeness, manners, good manners, mannerliness, civility, decorum, decency, propriety, breeding, respect, respectfulness,**_

_**verb**_

_**1\. do honor or credit to (someone or something) by one's presence**_

"_**she bowed out from the sport she has graced for two decades"**_

_**Syn. dignify, distinguish, add distinction to, honor, bestow honor on, favor, enhance, add luster to, magnify, ennoble, glorify, elevate, make lofty, aggrandize, upgrade**_

"_**the occasion was graced by the presence of Lady Thompson"**_

* * *

As all the students made their way to the changing rooms, Mayumi stood up to go with them, only to be held back by Aizawa's arm. She looked up at him quizzically.

"Hold on a minute," he said, not even looking down at her while speaking.

* * *

"Alright," Midnight said, hand on her hip. "Principal Nezu made sure that this area was secure for your own training. I'm going to be the one helping you when Aizawa has the other 1-A students working on their quirks. We're alone here to ensure no one else will be affected by it, so you don't have to worry about accidents."

The redheaded girl was reluctant, to say the least. While her classmates were doing a 'quirk assessment test', she was separated and told to head to the fourth floor of U.A. and given directions to where she was now.

In the entire room, there wasn't a single window, and only one door to enter and exit from. This was probably to reduce the chance of someone happening upon them and falling under her quirk's influence. They even gave her one of the few female heroes that they employed as teachers to help her get control of her own power. It was smarter than having male staff do it, but her quirk hasn't discriminated against anyone, man or woman, before. Still, they could only do so much.

'_At least it's only one person,'_ she thought. '_It'll be easier to undo my quirk on just her.'_

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Midnight prompted. "Go ahead and take that dreadful suit off."

The teen hesitated. Even though the large hazmat suit got weird looks on the train during her walk to school, it still had a job to do, and it did it well. No one had tried to abduct her on her way to school that morning, nor had they attempted to approach her. In fact, a majority of people went out of their way to _avoid_ Mayumi, perhaps thinking that her quirk had to do with some form of radiation. It was the heroin's only line of defense against the young girl's quirk, and if she were to remove it…

Things could get very out of hand rather quickly.

Letting out a shaky breath, the fifteen-year-old reached a shaky hand up to the helmet of the suit, placing flat palms on either side and slowly removed it.

Her sunset locks fell down, no longer restricted by the helmet, and reached all the way down her back in a tangled mess. Her dull green eyes flickered up at the heroin before she took the rest of the thing off.

Once she stood in her uniform before the teacher, Midnight couldn't suppress a coo.

"You're so adorable! It's no wonder your quirk is so effective!"

Her cheeks burned in embarrassment. She had essentially just called Mayumi 'cute', and that was not a word she would associate with any soon-to-be hero.

"Uhm.. Miss Midnight? What training are we going to be doing?"

Snapping out of her previous state of childishness, the r-rated heroin grew all the more serious.

"Right. It's my job to help you gain better control of both your quirks. Obviously, we'll focus mainly on the one you inherited from your father, but we'll also go over your second one, just not as much. Now, tell me how your first one works, and we'll go from there."

The aspiring hero felt a bit uneasy being out of her suit in a place where so many people were out roaming around, and anyone could walk in the door (even though it was locked) and see her.

"Well," she began uncertainly. "There are three facets to my quirk."

Midnight nodded, paying close attention to what the girl said.

* * *

"Beautiful!" Midnight exclaimed, watching Mayumi work on her quirk. "Such youthful grace!"

The older woman had a hand placed on her hip as she flicked her bullwhip at the 1-A student. The redheaded teen focused on it, slowing the atoms in the air around the whip to cause more friction and resistance, causing it to slow down from it's break-neck speed. This gave her enough time to twirl out of the way. She internally thanked her father for putting her through dancing lessons when she asked. He always did what she wanted, and made sure her quirk would be less troublesome than it could be when he was able.

When the end of the whip hit the spot Mayu had been standing in, she was a good distance away. The dark-purple haired woman nodded, impressed with the control she had displayed. She flicked the whip backwards, causing it to land and lay beside her.

"That's enough practice for today. I'm sure Aizawa has already finished up with the others. Feel free to get your suit back on and head back toward the cafeteria."

Nodding, Mayumi did as instructed, sweating a bit from the several hours of not only dancing around Midnight's secondary weapon of choice, but of trying to mentally control her major quirk on the woman, too. Still, she thought she made some progress. It may not have been much, but it was something.

Just as she had reached the door to unlock it, Midnight spoke again.

"Wait, come back here. You need to make sure I'm still not under your quirk's influence. Make sure you're all bundled up except your hand."

Mayu zipped up the hazmat suit and approached her, taking the glove off one off her hands. Tentatively, she placed her palm flat on the woman's cheek and closed her eyes. A black light emitted from the tan girl's skin before it faded. Quickly, she removed herself to ensure her quirk didn't act back up, and replaced the glove back in place.

"Don't forget that you're eating in your classroom with Aizawa," Midnight reminded. "You don't want to take off your helmet while around all the others. You aren't at that level of restraint yet."

The Storms teen nodded again, went back to the door, and went to go gather her lunch. The blue-eyed heroin stared at the door as it closed before she let out a sigh. Pushing her glasses back up on her face, she gazed at the marks on the tiled floor from where her whip had repeatedly struck.

"Such powerful quirks… It's a shame to think how they were misused by others in the past."

* * *

**Sorry this wasn't out yesterday, but I had a rash that popped up outta nowhere, and it's persisted into today. I had to go and get calamine lotion and antibacterial to help it, but it's not gone away yet. Either way, hope you're enjoying the story!**


	5. Class Rep!

_**Con-trol**_

_**/kənˈtrōl/**_

_**noun**__**  
1\. the power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events.  
"the whole operation is under the control of a production manager"**_

_**Syn. jurisdiction, sway, power, authority, command, dominance, domination, government, mastery, leadership, rule, reign, sovereignty, supremacy, ascendancy, predominance, hegemony  
2\. a group or individual used as a standard of comparison for checking the results of a survey or experiment.  
"they saw no difference between the cancer patients and the controls"**_

_**Syn. standard of comparison, benchmark, standard, check**_

"_**another Petri dish without the DNA solution was used as a control"**_

_**verb  
1\. determine the behavior or supervise the running of.  
"he was appointed to control the company's marketing strategy"**_

_**Syn. be in charge of, run, be in control of, manage, direct, administer, head, preside over, have authority over, supervise, superintend, oversee, guide, steer**_

_**2\. Take into account (an extraneous factor that might affect results) when performing an experiment.**_

"_**no attempt was made to control for variations"**_

* * *

It was the day after all of class 1-A had done a battle simulation with All Might. Well, most of the students, anyways. Mayumi Storms was once again told to report to the fourth floor for training with Midnight. They continued where they had left off until it was time to go.

'_I wanted to join this school to become a hero,'_ she had thought. '_It may feel weird to attend school again and basically not be allowed to participate in anything having to deal with quirks, but I know it's for everyone's own good. I have more to work on than anyone else, so this extra training will be worth it.'_

And, the teen was glad she had that training once she saw the crowd in front of U.A.'s gate the next morning. Reporters and camera crews blocked her way into the school building. She'd have to push her way through. It was a good thing she wore the hazmat suit on the transit, otherwise the crowd and the news viewers could have ended up affected by her.

Gently pushing her way through the masses, the redhead had plenty of microphones shoved in her face, asking who she was, if she knew anything about All Might working there, and so on. Not speaking a word, Mayu was able to worm her way past the gate and headed toward her classes.

"Decent work on yesterday's combat training, you guys," Aizawa said, placing some papers down on top of his desk. "I saw the video feeds and went over each of your teams' results. Bakugo, you're talented, so don't sulk like a child about your loss, okay?"

"Hm.. yeah, whatever," said spiky-haired student replied, looking away from the front.

"And Midoriya, I see the only way you won the match was by messing up your arm again. Work harder, and don't give me the excuse that you don't have control over your quirk. That line's already getting old. You can't keep breaking your body while training here. But your quirk would be really useful if you could get a handle on it. So show a little urgency, huh?"

"Right!" shouted the freckled boy.

"Let's get down to business. Our first task will decide your future."

Everyone tensed. Why, the sunset haired teen was unsure of.

"You all need to pick a class representative."

All the students relaxed, leaving the Storms teen confused.

Immediately, people started raising their hands and stating reasons why they should be picked. Then the blue haired guy she spoke to on the first day stood up and spoke over everyone else.

"Silence, everyone! Please!" This shut them up for the time being. "The class representative's duty is to lead others. That's not something just anyone can do. You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom; therefor, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader."

"Is this really the best idea?" a blonde kid asked.

"We've only known each other for a few days," said a frog-like girl. "How do we know who we can trust?"

"'Sides, everyone will just vote for themselves," input a spiky red headed student.

"Most people will," agreed Iida. "But that means whoever does receive multiple votes must truly be the most suitable person for the job. It's the best way, right, sir?"

Aizawa was already zipped up in his sleeping bag.

"Do what you want. Just decide before my nap's over."

Then he flopped over on his side.

"Thank you for your trust!"

* * *

"Alright, the class rep is Midorya, and our deputy is Yaoyorozu."

"R-really?" broccoli-hair boy asked, shaking as she stood in front of the class besides the black-haired teen. "Uh- it's not a mistake?"

"Ugh.. How'd this happen?"

Some of the other students began discussing how the two seemed to be the most logical fits for the jobs. Mayumi said nothing. She didn't vote as she didn't feel like she knew everyone as well as they knew each other.

* * *

All seemed to be going well during lunch. Mayumi sat in the classroom of 1-A with her helmet off, lunch tray on her desk when an alarm sounded over the loudspeaker.

"Warning: Level 3 security breach. All students: please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion."

The voice kept speaking, but the teen was no longer listening. Instead, the loud roar of shouts, yells, and voices came from some distance away from where she was. It sounded like utter chaos in the halls. Aizawa stood up and quickly dashed for the door.

"Stay here, Storms! And don't go near the windows!"

And he left, giving her no time to ask him any sort of questions.

She sighed and leaned back in her seat, staring at the ceiling as the alarm continued to blare in her ears. Of course, she could slow down the vibrating atoms to quiet it in the room, but the teen did no such thing. That would be using her quirk without supervision, a severe no-no in the policy. And so she sat and ate her food as the riot ensued.

Not long had passed before she could hear police sirens outside. Of course she was tempted to look, but didn't want to accidentally catch someone's eyes. Mayu stayed seated and finished up her lunch, placing her helmet back on her head.

* * *

Class was back in session. Midoriya and Yaoyorozu stood in the front.

"It's time, Class Rep. Let's begin."

"Uhm.. Okay! So, we need to figure out who the other class officers will be!" he stated, looking as though he was about to wet his pants. "But, first.. There's something that I want to say."

This caught people's attention. He didn't seem like the type to deviate from the script.

"I've thought a lot about this, and.. And I think that Tenya Iida should be our class rep! He was able to capture everyone's attention and get us in line." He smiled. "So, I believe that he should be the one leading our class from now on."

As soon as those words left his lips, other students started to jump on the bandwagon.

"Yeah, you know what? If Midorya vouches for him, then I'm good. Plus, he was a big help. He totally manned up and took charge, right?"

"Yup!"

"Did you notice he looked like the dude on the emergency exit signs when he was on the wall earlier?"

"This is a waste of time," Aizawa said, sitting up. He looked irritated, to say the least. "I don't care who the rep is, just hurry up."

Iida took a deep breath then stood up.

"If Midorya is nominating me for this job, then I humbly accept! I pledge to carry out the duties of Class Rep to the best of my abilities!"

"Sounds good, Emergency Exit."

"Emergency Exit Iida! Don't let us down, man!"

"Hello? I got two more votes than him.." whined the girl at the front of the class under her breath.

* * *

Humming a tune to herself, Mayumi stepped inside her house and shut the door, locking it behind her. She peeled off the hazmat suit and took off her outside shoes. Smiling, she slipped on her house slippers and called out.

"Hello, Dad! I'm home!"

Looking around after receiving no answer, the teen tilted her head quizzically. Usually, her dad would have responded by now and given her a large bear hug.

"Dad?"

She walked around the bottom floor of the house, looking for any sign of the older Storms. Finding none, she headed up the stairs. "Dad, you home?" The redhead made her way to his office room, opening the door while speaking.

"Dad you wouldn't believe what happened tod-"

She gasped, green eyes going wide in shock. Once she was able to find her voice, Mayumi screamed as loud as she could.


	6. Unheard Thoughts Jumbled!

_**Gone**_

_**/ɡôn/**_

_**verb  
1\. past participle of go**_

_**adjective  
1\. no longer present; departed.  
"the bad old days are gone"**_

_**Syn. away, absent, off, out, not present, non-attending, truant**_

_**2\. informal**__**  
**__**having reached a specified time in a pregnancy.  
"she is now four months gone"**_

_**preposition British**_

_**1\. (of time) past.  
"it's gone half past eleven"**_

* * *

**0:50 PM**

"Today's training will be a little different. You'll have three instructors: me, All Might, and another faculty member will be keeping tabs on you."

Whispers and murmurs picked up after Aizawa spoke. Some were debating who the third hero would be, others stating how cool this practice must be, and so on. Mayumi just sat quietly at her desk besides their teacher.

"Sir!" blurted one student. "What kind of training is this?"

'Rescue' was what the card in their teacher's hand read.

"Rescue. You'll be dealing with natural disasters, shipwrecks, stuff like that."

More excited chatter.

"Guys, I'm not finished yet. What you wear in this exercise is up to you. I know you're excited about costumes."

He pressed a button on a control and panels slid out from the wall labeled up to 21.

"But keep in mind that you haven't gotten used to them yet, and they might limit your abilities. This special training's at an off-campus facility, so we'll be taking a bus to get there. That's all. Start getting ready."

The redheaded girl stood up silently, ready to head out the door and go to the fourth floor again, only to be stopped by Aizawa.

"Where are you going, Storms?"

The tan teen looked up at him, confused.

"I didn't tell you to go there," he replied, knowing her train of thought. "You're coming with us this time."

* * *

All of class 1-A waited outside of the U.A. building while staying inside the gates and on campus. Several people jolted when the class rep blow a whistle rather loudly.

"Gather 'round, Class 1-A! Using your student numbers, form two neat lines so we can load the bus efficiently!"

He blew the whistle a few more times in case anyone hadn't heard him before.

**A few minutes later**

"The bus's open layout ruined my boarding strategy," Iida sulked.

"Iida, you really need to chill," the pink-skinned girl said.

"If we're pointing out the obvious," started the frog teen. "Then there's something I wanna say. About you, actually." She looked at Midorya.

"About me?" he blushed. "What is it, Asui?"

"I told you to call me Tsu."

"Oh, yeah, right.."

"That power of yours. Isn't it a lot like All Might's?"

He gasped. "What? Really?! You think so, huh? I never really thought about that. I guess it's kinda cool.."

"Wait, hold on, Tsu. You're forgetting that All Might doesn't hurt himself. That makes a huge difference."

The broccoli-haired boy sighed in seemingly relief.

"Still, I bet it's cool to have a simple augmenting type of quirk. You could do a lot of flashy stuff with it. My hardening's super strong and can destroy bad guys in a fight, but it doesn't look all-that impressive."

He demonstrated, making his arm harder.

"Oh, no way!" Midorya said, looking calmer now. "I think it's really awesome looking! You're definitely pro material with a quirk like that!"

"You really think so? Seems like it'd be easier to be a popular hero if I had something flashier."

"My naval laser's got the perfect combination with panash and strength."

"But it's way lame if it gives you a stomach ache, sweety."

"Well, of any of our classmates have pro quirks, it's Todoroki and Bakugo."

"Sure, but Bakugo's always angry, so he'll never be that popular," Tsu replied, hands on her knees.

Glaring at the frog girl, Bakugo stood up quickly. "What did you say?! I'll kick your ass!"

"See?"

"Ya know, we basically just met you, so it's kind of telling that we all know your personality is flaming crap mixed with garbage," a blonde kid said, a black streak in his hair.

"You're gonna regret the day that you applied to this school, you loser!"

As the argument continued, Mayumi zoned out. Her mind wandered back to the night before…

_Her neighbors must have called the police after hearing the teen scream so loud, because the next thing she knew, there was loud knocking from the front door._

"_This is the police! Open up immediately!"_

_Her hand had been over her mouth in horror, but her dull green eyes slowly turned to look behind her, away from the gruesome thing before her. Even looking away, the sight had been burned into her memory._

_She walked on shaky legs to the door, unable to swallow past the lump in her throat to respond to the cop. Once her hazmat suit was secured on herself, she numbly opened the door._

"_U-upstairs, officers… I don't think he's.. breathing."_

_That was all she was able to get out before her legs gave way beneath her. She fell to the floor, heart racing a mile a minute. One of the officers stayed with her while the other went to investigate. Mayumi could hear the sound of a radio as the cop called for back-up. The cop was trying to get her to answer her questions, but the teen couldn't think. Not with that image in her mind._

_Who would do such a thing? Why in her home? She was supposed to be _safe _here, her father promised her countless of times…_

"Hey, hey," Aizawa said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "We're here. Stop messing around."

"Yes, sir," the students chorused.

* * *

"Hello, everyone! I've been waiting for you!"

Midorya, among others, gasped in shock and awe.

"It's the space hero: Thirteen! The chivalrous pro who's rescued a ton of people from disasters across the world!"

"Woo-hoo!" Ururaka cheered. "Thirteen is one of my favorite heroes!"

As the other students excitedly chattered, Mayu couldn't bring herself to feel the same excitement as them. She just couldn't shake her thoughts, which would be bad if Aizawa was seriously going to incorporate her into today's exercise.

"I can't wait to show you what's inside," Thirteen continued, gesturing to the large area behind himself.

Once again, the others were in awe of the huge place, and even the sunset-haired girl had to admit it was impressive in her state.

"Holy crap! It looks like some kind of amusement park!"

"A shipwreck, a landslide, a fire, a windstorm, etc-etera," the hero explained, pointing out the areas he listed. "I created this training facility to prepare you to deal with different types of disasters! I call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint! But you can call it, USJ!"

"Hey, shouldn't All Might be here already," Aizawa said, approaching Thirteen. "Let me guess, he booked an interview instead?"

The two heroes had a hushed discussion for a moment after that. Then their teacher turned to them.

"Clock's ticking. We should get started."

"Excellent! Before we begin, let me just say one thing! Well, maybe two things.. possibly three, four, or five."

"We get it," the students replied.

"Listen carefully. I'm sure you're aware that I have a powerful quirk. It's called Blackhole. I can use it to suck up anything, and turn it into dust."

"Yeah, you've used Blackhole to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven't you?" the broccoli boy said.

"That's true, but my quirk could also very easily be used to kill."  
This seemed to surprise them.

"Some of you also have powers that could be dangerous. In our super-human society, all quirks are certified and stringently regulated, so we often overlook how unsafe they can actually be. Please don't forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move, your powers can be deadly, even if you're trying to do something virtuous like rescue someone. Thanks to Aizawa's fitness test, you have a solid idea of your quirk's potential. And, because of All Might's combat training, you've likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people. Carry those lessons over to this class. Today, you're going to learn how to use your quirks to save people's lives. You won't be using your powers to attack enemies or each other, only to help. After all, that's what being a hero's all about. Ensuring the safety of others. That's all I have to say," he wrapped up, doing a sort of bow. "Thank you so much for listening."

Everyone cheered, save the Storms girl. She understood the importance of this, but she didn't have the same experience of either of the tests before this one, only fighting Midnight. Even still, the speech made her that much more motivated, to the point she even was able to stop thinking about the night prior.

"Right," called Aizawa. "Now that that's over-"

Before he could finish, the lights started making odd noises before going out, the water fountain started acting up, and then purple and black colors swirled together as a sort of portal appeared. A person shoved their head through, namely a dude with hands on his body. Aizawa instantly went on guard.

"Stay together, and don't move!" he demanded. "Thirteen, protect the students!"

"Wow, what is that thing?" Kirishima asked, looking at the portal.

Even more people emerged from the mist, loads more.

"Wait, has the training started already? I thought we were rescuing people?"

Midorya went to step forward but instantly stopped at Aizawa's command.

"Stay back!" He then put on his goggles. "This is real. Those are villains."

Mayumi's eyes widened, gasping softly inside her hazmat suit.

"V-villains?.." she asked herself softly.


	7. Flirt For Freedom

_**Fear**_

_**/ˈfir/**_

_**noun  
1\. an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.  
"he is prey to irrational fears"**_

_**Syn. terror, fright, fearfulness, horror, alarm, panic, agitation, trepidation, dread, consternation, dismay, distress**_

_**verb  
1\. be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening.  
"farmers fear that they will lose business"**_

_**Syn. be afraid of, be fearful of, be scared of, be apprehensive of, dread, live in fear of, go in terror of, be terrified of, be terrified by, cower before, tremble before, cringe from, shrink from, flinch from**_

* * *

"V-villains…?"

"The only real heroes I see are Thirteen and Eraser Head. Perplexing. According to the schedule we retrieved from U.A., All Might should be here as well."

It was unclear which of the villains said this, but that didn't stop Aizawa from speaking afterwards.

"So you scumbags used the press as a cover and sneaked onto campus."

"Where is he?" rasped a voice. "I went through the trouble of bringing so many friends who're eager to meet him. They want All Might, the great Symbol of Peace. I can't believe he's not here. Maybe if I kill a few kids, he'll come out to play."

At the blue haired man's words, Aizawa's scarf flew around him, his hair standing up like when he activates his quirk.

"What? Real villains? No way," Kirishima said, not looking as convinced as his words sounded. "How could so many of them get into a U.A. facility this secure?"

"Yeah. Thirteen, why aren't the alarms going off?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Good question. I'm not sure."

"Is the entire campus under attack," mused Todoroki. "Or is this their only target? Either way, if the alarm sensors aren't being triggered, then one of these villains must have a quirk that's masking their presence here. They carefully chose this isolated facility as an entry point at a time when class was being taught. They're fools for trespassing here, but they've thought this out. Whatever their plan, they must have a concrete objective in mind. But what is it?"

"Thirteen, get them out of here, and alert the main campus. Actually, if they've got the ability to block our sensors, then they might be jamming our regular communications, too. Kaminari, try using your quirk to contact the school."

"Yes, sir!"

"What are you gonna do?!" Midoriya questioned. "You can't fight them on your own! There's too many of them! Even if you can nullify their quirks, your fighting style's not suited to this. Your power works best in stealth and one-on-one fights. It's not going to help with a group.."

"You can't be a pro if you only have one trick. I'll leave it to you, Thirteen."

The other pro hero nodded, then their teacher jumped into the fray. He was good, using a mix of his quirk and his scarf to take down opponents. He dodged and ducked when needed, then struck and attacked to counter. Mayu had to admit, he was good, just as any pro should be.

Thirteen ushered the students back to the front of the USJ, trying to reach the entrance before any of the villains slipped past Aizawa. However, the large purple and black mass appeared from the ground, and stood in their way.

"There is no escape for you," it (he?) said. "It's a pleasure to meet you. We are the League of Villains. I know it's impolite, but we decided to invite ourselves into this haven of justice to say hello. And, besides, isn't this a fitting place for All Might, the Symbol of Peace, to take his last breath? I believe he was supposed to be here today, and yet, I see no sign of him. There must have been some sort of change in plans we could not have foreseen. Ah, well. In the end, I suppose it doesn't matter. I still have a role to play."

Just then, Bakugo and Kirishima both jumped at the guy, fists at the ready. The blonde caused an explosion that blocked most of the students' view for a moment.

"Did you think we were just gonna stand around and let you tear this place to shreds?" the redheaded boy asked.

"You live up to your school's reputation," mocked the villain, who's body reformed as the smoke cleared. "But you should be more careful, children, otherwise, someone might get hurt."

"You two," Thirteen called, finger pointed at him. "Get out of the way right now!"

"I'll scatter you across this facility to meet my comrades, and your death!"

He (it?) sent purple and black smoke-like tendrils out toward everyone.

"Crap, what is this?!"

Mayumi braced against the strong wind as it whipped by. She couldn't even see any of the others around her, but she heard them struggling to stay their ground as well. A feeling of falling overcame the teen, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the ground rapidly approaching her. Letting out a short cry, the girl landed roughly on her stomach. She winced as she pushed her body up.

"Ouch.. that wasn't fun."

The tan girl brought a hand up to her head and rubbed the sore area.

"Jeez, that's gonna bruise for sure."

Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she brought her other hand up to her temple.

"Oh no! Where'd my helmet go?! Don't tell me it fell off!" Mayumi started to look around. "This is bad, this is bad.. I can't control my quirk just yet! I need my helmet!"

Her dull green orbs searched the area around her but couldn't spot the bright yellow equipment anywhere. She did, though, manage to get a look of her surroundings. It looked like a majority of the area was flooded, but there were lots of tall buildings and trees. The Storms teen was on top of one of the skyscrapers, albeit not the tallest. The typhoon-like incident must be somewhere in the USJ. After all, Thirteen did say he had set the place up with all kinds of natural disaster scenarios. Now, all she had to do was figure out how to get back to the others.

A hand roughly grabbed her long hair and yanked her head back, causing her to, yet again, yell out in pain while a male voice laughed.

"Look at this. She's completely helpless on her own!"

"This'll be as easy as pie," another croned, sneering at her.

"Y-you're hurting me!" Mayu cried, hands grasping at the goon's wrist. She tried her best to put influence into her words, but she could hardly focus with the pain in her scalp. It felt like the man was trying to pull all her locks out.

Her words merely received laughter from the people who now surrounded her. Where did they all come from? A minute ago, she was by herself.

"'Hurting her', she says!"

"Kid, when we're done here, you won't even be breathing."

"Kinda sad, though. She has a pretty face."

"But orders are orders."

Gritting her teeth, the teen decided she needed another tactic. Focusing as much as she could on the person's wrist she grasped, the sunset haired girl made the atoms of his skin start to speed up. Soon, it was enough that a fire burst to life.

'_Spontaneous human combustion,'_ she thought. '_We went over that in biology. Human bodies contain many chemicals that are highly flammable!'_

"Shit!"

The hand left her tresses quickly as the guy tried to slap the fire out.

"Her quirk's fire?!"

"Idiots, don't you see what her hair looks like?! Of course she's a fire type!"

This slightly confused her, but she quickly came to the conclusion that they had no idea what anyone of the students' quirks were. That was at least one advantage they could rely on.

'_So, that means that they won't know I can manipulate atoms, or that now that the guy's handled my hair...'_

She smiled sweetly. "Well, I guess there's no need for this suit now.."

Mayumi discarded her hazmat protection, tossing it over the edge of the building and into the watery depths below. Her school uniform hugged her figure, something she would normally try to hide, but now could be her best chance at surviving this ordeal until more pro heroes arrived.

"Well, aren't you all cute in your own ways," the girl said, one hand on her hip, the other running through her fiery locks to draw attention to it. "It's a shame you said you're here to kill me. I'm sure we could have gotten along just fine otherwise."

She saw the man who had handled her stiffen at her words, and she couldn't help the beginnings of a smirk that tugged at the corners of her lips. One down, seven more to go. She batted her thick eyelashes flirtily.

"I bet you guys are really strong, right? So strong that you could fight the other people here in the facility and win. I think strength is super attractive."

A few more of them seemed to draw in her words, coming around to her quirk's influence. So far so good.

"I would really appreciate anyone who would help me get back to my class. I'd do anything to repay them."

Mayumi hated acting this way, hated manipulating others to get what she wanted. But it did have it's perks so long as none of them had a bad reaction to it. That would be problematic now. She grasped the biggest man's arm, squeezing his bicep.

"Wow, so big. I bet you could lift me up easily, huh?"

Pink dusted his cheeks, and she knew she had them. It scared her how nonresistant people are to her power. She feared her own quirk, really, but it was her best line of defense at the moment. Using her other quirk to speed up or slow down atoms wore her body out over time. She would even start bleeding from her nose and mouth if she pushed it too far. This was her best option, and she had to act quickly.

"It would be wonderful if we left now."

* * *

"So the plan was to scatter us and kill us. Tch, you were woefully unprepared. In fact, it looks to me that you had no training. You haven't the slightest idea how to use your quirks."

Todoroki began walking through the throngs of frozen villains, his expression neutral as always.

"T-this power. He froze us the instant we warped here!"

"He's not a kid, he's a monster!"

"S-so cold.."

Another villain shouted as he trained to hit the bi-colored boy from behind, his comrade attacking from the front, only for the both of them to end up encased in ice as well.

"Listen well. If you stay frozen, your cells will slowly die as your body succumbs to frostbite and hypothermia. Luckily for you, I want to be a hero, so I'd like to avoid any unnecessary cruelty. But I can only do that if you tell me how you plan to kill All Might. That's the only way you'll survive."

As he was about to get his answer, a female voice shouted something out. It was a bit higher in pitch, so it meant the weilder of said voice was younger than the thugs he had easily incapacitated.

"Hey! You're that serious boy from class, right?"

He turned to see a group of villains and a girl riding on one of their arms. She wore the U.A. uniform, but he hadn't seen anyone like her before. And he's sure he would have remembered that vibrant, multi-colored hair that flowed behind her as her 'ride' walked.

"You're Todoroki, right?" she asked, swaying her feet carelessly. Upon seeing his blank look, the girl blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, right.. No one really knows what I look like. I shouldn't be surprised, as that was the whole point of me wearing that stupid thing.."

She chuckled, a bit nervously. "Well, my name's Storms, Mayumi, and I was the one in the hazmat suit. It's nice to officially meet you."

Shouto blinked, taking in the information given to him. He looked wearily at the company she was with. Perhaps this was a trick?

As if seeing his cautious gaze, the sunset haired girl sighed.

"I don't like using my father's quirk, but I figured the more help we had against these guys, the better. And, who better to recruit but the very foes we have to face? Don't worry. They won't do anything they think will upset me."

All eight of the men nodding in confirmation.

Todoroki had to admit, it was a pretty comical sight to see. The tiny girl, no taller than five-three, rode on the largest man's arm like it was a swing. The guy was at least six-ten and all muscle. He dwarfed her in comparison.

"If you're really from our class, then tell me something the villains won't know," he challenged, not one to drop his guard so easily.

"On the first day of school, Aizawa-sensei came into class with a bright yellow sleeping bag. He looked a lot like a worm, honestly."

The heterochromiac boy stared at her for awhile before he nodded once to show he believed her.

"We should get moving. The longer we stand here, the more likely we are to be found by more villains."

"Right! You heard him, boys. Let's get a move on."


	8. The Nomu

_**Fight**_

_**/fīt/**_

_**verb**_

_**1\. take part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons.  
**_"_**the men were fighting"**_

_**noun  
1\. a violent confrontation or struggle.  
"we'll get into a fight and wind up with bloody noses"**_

_**Syn. rawl, fracas, melee, row, rumpus, confrontation, skirmish, sparring match, exchange, struggle, tussle, scuffle, altercation, wrangle, scrum, clash, disturbance**_

_**This chapter's skipable, really. It's basically the same as the original episode, but with some minor dialogue changes with Tomura and Mayumi, and some of her thoughts. I didn't just want to skip over this entire fight, but I sort of forgot how long the USJ Incident was.. Oh well.**_

* * *

Midoriya ran. He couldn't help himself. All Might was being hurt by the Nomu; Aizawa was unconscious and bleeding; _nothing_ was going how it should. All Might was supposed to win. It was all supposed to end when he showed up. Izuku had to help him! He had to! He was the only one who knew about One for All, about All Might's secrets! The great hero still had so much to teach him! It couldn't just all end this way!

'_I'm coming!'_

He jumped and reached his hand forward, yelling as he did his best to try and save his idol. Kurogiri moved in his way, forming another Warp Gate in front of the green haired boy.

"How foolish."

As his fist was entering the inky black and purple void, Bakugou suddenly appeared, using an explosion to push the other boy's body away from the Warp Gate villain. It was also strong enough to dispel the portal and push Kurogiri back a little way's.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY, DEKU!"

He then grasped onto the metal part of the man's outfit and pinned him to the ground.

Ice crept quickly across the dirt, climbing up the Nomu's leg and torso until the entire right half of the creature was encased in it save for it's hand. Todoroki looked down at the creature before directing his words to Shigaraki.

"One of your poorly trained thugs told me you're here because you think you can kill All Might."

Mayumi sighed, still on her perch on the large man. They lost a couple of her entourage while fighting their way there. It wasn't like they needed them anyways. The teen just thought it would be nice to have less enemies and more allies in the long-run.

"Seriously, dude. You need better villains if you want to fight All Might, let alone 1-A. Even their minds were easy to mold."

Seeing the shift in the tide of power, All Might grasped the Nomu's hands once more and pried them off his sides. He jumped away, getting some much-needed distance between himself and the purple creature, landing besides Todoroki and Mayu. He grasped his bleeding injury, wincing in pain.

Midoriya gasped, turning to the number one hero.

"Are you okay?"

Kirishima shouted as he, too, joined the fray, nearly managing to punch Tomura, but the light blue haired man dodged before his fist could touch him.

"Damn, that was gonna be cool!"

"Guess I found your body that time, you smokey bastard!"

"The Symbol of Peace will not be defeated by delinquents like you," Shouto deadpanned.

"Kacchan.. Everyone.."

Tears formed in Izuku's eyes, but he furiously wiped them away with his arm. Once he was done, his face was resolved into a determined expression. All eyes were on the villain covered in hands.

"Todoroki, and Bakugou.." Mineta said, voice mixed with awe and relief.

"And Kirishima, too," Tsu said, supporting their teacher's body. "But who's that girl?"

"She's wearing a uniform, but I don't remember seeing a hotty like her around."

Aizawa made a small sound, it seemed he was in and out of consciousness and pain. The two gasped, not expecting him to move at all.

"Let them handle it. We need to hurry."

"Yeah, okay."

"Kurogiri," the blue haired man rasped. "How could you let this brat get the best of you? You've gotten us into a real jam here.."

"Heh. You got careless, you dumb villain. It wasn't hard to figure you out. Only certain parts of you turn into that smokey Warp Gate. You use that mist to hide your actual body as a kind of distraction, thinking it made you safe. That's why we missed. But, if you didn't have a body, you wouldn't be wearing this neck armor, right? You're not immune to physical attacks if they're well-aimed."

The pinned villain tried to move, but the ash-blonde fired off some small explosions along the collar.

"Don't move! Heh. You try anything funny, and I'll blow your ass up so bad that they'll be piecing you back together for weeks."

"Ooh, that doesn't sound very heroic," Kirishima teased.

"They escaped uninjured, captured my two strongest men, and turned several of the others against us. Kids these days really are amazing.. They make the League of Villains look like amateurs. Can't have that." He turned to look at his creation. "Nomu."

Immediately, it started to sink into the portal, making an odd sound as it did. Bending in a weird way, the _thing _righted itself up, the ice breaking and falling off along with its arm and leg.

"How is that thing still moving. He's all messed up," Midoriya said, eyes wide.

"Stay back, everybody!" All Might commanded.

Then, what looked like muscles and sinews began to grow out of the stumps left behind, quickly recreating the two limbs it lost.

"What is this? I thought you said his power was shock absorption!"

"I didn't say that was his _only _quirk. He also has super regeneration. Nomu's been modified to take you on even at 100 percent of your power. He's basically a highly efficient punching bag that hits back."

Everyone got into fighting stance, even the four men with Mayumi. Said teen gripped onto the big man's arm she sat on, her teeth clenched. She was prepared to fight if need be, just like the rest of them.

'_This thing is insane! Two quirks picked specifically to take on All Might… They've thought this through, that's certain.'_

"First, we need to free our method of escape. Get him, Nomu."

Faster than they could see, the purple creature moved and punched towards Bakugou. The students did their best to brace themselves, but it sent them all flying, including the small group of villains and the sunset haired teen.

"Ah, that force," Izuku choked out, body trembling from aches and pains.

The dust cleared, revealing the Nomu standing over the Warp Gate villain.

"Ah! Kacchan!"

The green broccoli-like boy looked beside him, and there his old friend was, looking just as shocked as the others.

"Kacchan? Wow, that's awesome. You dodged!"

"Shut up. No I didn't, you damn nerd."

Bakugou's expression quickly soured.

'_That speed.. I couldn't even see him coming!..'_

"Then how'd you get over here?" the redheaded boy asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Todoroki.

The smoke around cleared further, revealing a slightly coughing All Might.

"All Might," Midoriya said, his worry evident.

"These were kids, and you didn't even hold back?!"

"I didn't have much choice. He was threatening my companion. Besides, these kids are no angels. The plain-looking one? He tried to kill me with a maxed-out punch. That girl? She's brainwashed men and stripped away their will. What kind of heroes do something like that? You think you can get away with being as violent as you want if you say it's for the sake of others. Well, ya know what, All Might? That pisses me off. Why do people get to decide that some violent acts are heroic and others are villainous? Casting judgement as to what's good and what's evil. You think you're the Symbol of Peace? Heh! You're just another government-sponsored instrument of violence! And violence always breeds more violence. I'll make sure that the world understands that once you're dead."

"You're nothing but a lunatic," the number one hero retorted solemnly. "Criminals like you, you always try to make your actions sound noble, but admit it. You're only doing this because you like it! Isn't that right?!"

"We've got them out-numbered," the bi-colored boy said, making Izuku nod.

"And Kacchan found the mist-guy's weakness."

"These dudes may act really tough, but we can take 'em down, now, with All Might's help. Hmp! Let's do this."

"Don't attack!"

The kids all looked toward their teacher with shock.

"Get out of here."

"You would have been in trouble, earlier, if it wasn't for me, remember?" Shouto pointed out, getting his hand ready to form more ice as-needed. "You need our help."

"I thank you for your assistance, but this is different. It's gonna be alright. Just sit back, and watch a pro at work!"

"But you're too hurt. You're bleeding! And you're almost out of tim-" He stopped himself, bringing a hand to his mouth.

The beaten up hero raised his thumb and turned back to face his opponents.

"Nomu, Kurogiri, kill him," Tomura replied flippantly. "I'll deal with the children. Let's clear this level and go home."

The bluenette raced forward.

"Head's up. We're fighting after all."

Quite suddenly, All Might started giving off a strong aura, causing even the villain to halt in his steps. He ran toward the Nomu head-on. They met mid-way in a punch, light and wind blowing out from their force.

"Weren't you listening," demanded Tomura, righting himself after being thrown. "One of his powers is shock absorption!"

"Yeah, what about it?!"

They kept punching, arms moving so fast that they were a blur. The force kept pushing on them all, and they could barely stay rooted in place.

"He's gonna fight that brain guy head-on?!"

"Wow, they're.. so fast!"

"No!" cried the Warp Gate. "I can't get near them!"

The fight raged on, and they all just watched from the side-lines: the students in awe, the villains in anguish. All Might kept pushing, moving the Nomu unlike before.

"A real hero… will always find a way for justice to be served!"

The blonde man grabbed the creature's arm and spun in circles in the air, letting out a loud battle cry before tossing it to the ground. The impact made a huge crater in its wake.

"Now, for a lesson. You may have heard these words before, but I'll teach you what they really mean! Go beyond! PLUS ALTRRAAAA!"

With that deafening shout, All Might punched Nomu in the gut, shooting it off and through the dom all around them. The hole it left was staggering while the ground shook due to the after-shock.

"That was like the finishing move in a video game!" commented Kirishima. "He beat the shock absorption right out of him! I've never seen that kinda brute strength."

"Imagine having power like that," Kastuki agreed. "He must have been punching that monster so fast that it couldn't regenerate."

"I really have gotten weaker," All Might spoke, not projecting it to anyone in particular. "Back in my hey-day, it would have only taken five hits would have been enough to knock that guy out. But, today, it took more than 300 mighty blows."

He then turned his body part of the way to the villains.

"You've been bested, villains."

The guys with hands all over him shook furiously, seeming to be completely off his rocker.

"Surrender. We all want to get over this quickly."

Shigaraki glared at the hero with pure malice.

'_He cheated…'_


	9. Villainous Tendencies

_**vil**__**·lain**_

_**/ˈvilən/**_

_**noun**_

_**1\. ( in a film, novel, or play) a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot.  
"I have played more good guys than villains"**_

_**Syn. criminal, lawbreaker, outlaw, offender, felon, convict, jailbird, malefactor, wrongdoer, black hat, supervillain**_

_**Archaic**_

_**2\. variant spelling of villein**_

* * *

Tomura's body shook with rage as All Might told him to give up. He started to furiously scratch at his neck. After a beat or two of silence, the number one hero spoke once more.

"What's wrong? Not attacking me? Didn't you say you were going to 'clear this level' earlier? Well, come and get me, if you dare."

Seeing the ferocious look of determination in his eye seemed to startle the man.

"Man, this is.. intense," Bakugou said.

"As I expected. There's no reason for us to fight now. He'll handle this."

"Come on, Midoriya," Kirishima called. "We should regroup with the others guys. The last thing we wanna do is get taken hostage or get in his way."

"And the sooner I release these guys from my quirk, the better," chimed in Mayumi. "Prolonged exposure isn't healthy."

Said broccoli headed boy stayed planted in place, gaping at the injured hero.

"What?" All Might seemed to taunt. "Are you scared?"

Shigaraki tilted his head up to better scratch at his jugular. He hated losing, hated things not going his way.

'_Stupid All Might! Stupid heroes, stupid, stupid, stupid!'_

"If only Nomu was here. He'd rush you right now! Pound you into the ground without giving it a second thought!"

Then the Warp Gate villain leaned down, seeming to say something to his superior. Quite abruptly, the itching stopped. Whatever had been exchanged must have calmed his nerves down.

Then his hands dropped to his sides.

The other villains rising took the students' attention, and they turned their backs to All Might and the two in charge.

"I think All Might can hold his own against those two main guys. Let's make sure these dudes don't hurt anybody else."

Todoroki turned to Izuku.

"Will you be joining us?"

He didn't respond before Tomura advanced on All Might. Said hero seemed to prepare himself for the on-coming fight that was sure to come his way.

"Consider this revenge for what you did to Nomu!" rasped Shigaraki.

His alley made another portal, prepared to assist in the onslaught.

Before they could blink, it seemed Midoriya already jumped head-first into the battle, ready to punch either villain.

"Wow, Midoriya!"

"DON'T YOU TOUCH ALL MIGHT, YOU STUPID VILLAINS!"

Tomura simply shoved his arm into another vortex, hand prepared to grab the kid and deteriorate him into nothing.

"I won't fall for that again!" Kurogiri snarled.

The bluenette gave a pitiful excuse of a laugh that sounded like a parched donkey.

Then a gunshot rang out, simultaneously stopping Midoriya from breaking his arm, and Shigaraki from grabbing his face. All turned to look at where the bullet came from.

"They're here.."

"Sorry everyone!" Nezu said. "I know we're a bit late, but I got the teachers over here as fast as I could!"

"Your class rep has returned," Iida shouted. "I've fulfilled my duty, and I brought reinforcements!"

The villains attacked, doing their best not to be taken by the pros, but in the end, it was all in vain for the misfits assembled to be the League of Villains. President Mic let out a powerful sonic burst, incapacitating quite the number of attackers. Ectoplasm made various copies of himself, all of which beat back the bulk of the first wave that managed to escape President Mic.

"Our priority is to protect all of our students."

"Yes, sir!"

Explosions went off left and right. Tomura took steps back to Kurogiri.

"Ugh.. The pros are here. It's game over for real. Let's go home, and try this when we can-"

He didn't get the chance to finish before Snipe shot him in the shoulder and legs. Warp Gate quickly covered him as he collapsed to the ground, bleeding.

"Let's go," he demanded, covering his body more with his quirk.

Thirteen used his own to try and pull them back and prevent their escape.

"This is-.. Black Hole!"

"I may have failed to kill you this time," the light-blue haired man threatened. "But your days are numbered!"

All Might coughed some blood, and as he wiped it off, the two managed to slip away, vanishing from view.

* * *

"If all the pro teachers are gathered here, then it must mean that the rest of the school is safe," Todoroki concluded. "The villains attacked this facility, but not the rest of the campus."

"Midoriya! Hey!" Kirishima shouted, running toward the hurt boy.

"Sorry, I can't get up."

"What? Are you okay?"

"Kirishima, wait!"

The ground roze up suddenly, blocking the red and spiky haired boy from the hero and student.

"For your safety, please stay back, young man," Cementos said. "Join your classmates at the front gate. Leave the injured to us. We can take care of them."

"Oh, gotcha. I'm on it!" Then he ran the other way. "Hey! He said for all of us to head to the entrance!"

* * *

"Power," Tomura repeated, laying on the floor of the old bar. "That reminds me.. There was a kid there who tried to protect All Might. He was just as fast as him!"

"Oh?"

"If he hadn't gotten in our way.. we might have killed the Symbol of Peace.. That brat..! And that girl. She warped the minds of several of my minions! If she hadn't, then they would have helped in wearing All Might down sooner."

"Really, now? How interesting. What did their eyes look like?"

"What does that matter?! It's just a stupid brainwashing quirk."

"Naturally, your upset, but this was not a futile mission. We've learned many things. Gather the villainous elite. Take all the time you need. I must remain hidden in the shadows, which is why I need you to be my face. A symbol of your own. Tomura Shigaraki, next time, you will show the world that it should be afraid of you."

* * *

"Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty.. Everyone seems to be unharmed, except for that boy whose legs were all messed up," the detective said.

"Ojiro," Hagakure said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I heard you were a really good fighter. I had no idea you were so strong!"

"I didn't know I was the only one on my own. I survived using hit-and-run tactics. So where did you end up fighting, Hagakure?"

"The landslide zone! You wouldn't believe how strong Todoroki was. He's amazing!"

"You don't say? Well, I'm just glad you didn't get hurt."

"Aren't you wondering about moi?" asked Aoyama. "Where's my sparkling light?"

"Interesting," Tokoyami said. "So the people that you fought were also low-level thugs."

"Yeah," Kirishima replied, punching his fist into his palm. "They messed with the wrong kids, huh?"

"Did you miss me?" the sparkling blonde asked the next group of people.

"So All Might put that hole in the dome after all. I figured."

"That took some hard-core power."

"Yeah, it was crazy."

"Where'd you think I was?" he asked the frog-girl.

"Uhm, where?"

"It's a secret!"

"Let's go ahead and get these students back to the main campus," directed Naomasa Tsukauchi. "They've been through a lot. We don't need to question them right away."

"Detective," Tsu said, hopping forward. "What about Mister Aizawa?"

The man pulled out his phone and let the doctor explain the bad news.

"Well, you heard the man."

"Ribbit.."

"Not his eyes.."

"Uhm, sir?" Ashido asked. "What about Thirteen?"

"There's no need to worry, there. Despite some pretty bad lacerations to the back, Thirteen's gonna pull through, good-as-new."

This seemed to relax the three female students, Ashido, Jiro, and Yaoyorozu.

"And All Might is also without any serious injuries. He's in the nurse's office right now. Recovery Girl's power should be all the treatment that he needs."

Uraraka frowned. "What about Deku?"

"How's Midoriya?" Iida backed-up.

"Midori? Ah. Recovery Girl is taking care of him, too. He's fine."

"Oh, thank goodness!"

"Now, let's get you back to class."

"Okay," they all responded at once.

"Sansa, I still have some business in the nurse's office. I'll leave this to you, 'kay?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Come on man," the redheaded, spiky haired boy called to his ash blonde friend. "We're going back to class now!"

"Yeah, yeah. I heard 'im, you idiot."

* * *

Mayumi walked home, the sun's rays a soft amber color as it slowly set beyond the horizon. Her hands loosely grasped her backpack's straps as her eyes looked at the ground while walking. Her mind kept going over everything that happened just that morning and the night before.

"I was questioned by police twice in the last twenty-four hours.. That has to be some kind of record."

Making it home, she silently opened the door and closed it behind her, taking her outdoor shoes off. Once her slippers were secured on her feet, the tan teen dropped her bag in the doorway and ventured further into the house. Not like anyone would need to walk through the door except herself.

It was eerily quiet in her abode, but Mayu supposed that's just how it was when one was living alone. Not like she wasn't used to only having herself as her company beforehand as it was.

The sunset haired teen heaved out a heavy sigh. She wasn't in the mood to eat dinner anymore. She had enough of villains to last her a lifetime. Why did they have to go and spoil her mood on _that day_ in particular? It was a triple whammy, really: the day before the anniversary of her mother's murder, which would now be known as the day after her father went missing, and the day she had to risk exposure of her quirk with her classmates and teachers. Could things get even suckier?

Shaking her head slightly, the green eyed kid flopped on the couch, letting her mind wander to the night before. The police hadn't forgotten her. She had been interrogated less than a day ago...

_**~Flashback~**_

_Mayumi sat in the cold room, her arms resting in her lap as she looked at the metal table top. She wore her hazmat suit, and had already explained to the officers that she could not take it off if they wanted her to avoid her quirk randomly going off._

_They had allowed it, albeit just barely._

_A nice lady sat across from her, reading off of a clipboard on occasion and writing down her responses._

"_Can you tell me what happened?"_

_The teen blearily nodded._

"_I.. I got home from school, and noticed that it was really quiet. I called out for my dad, but got no answer, so I looked around the house for him. He has a habit of falling asleep in his study, so that's where I went to look after the kitchen. When I opened the door…" She took a deep, shuddering breath. "That man… He was lying on the ground with blood pooled around him… I-I screamed."_

_The police woman nodding, jotting some things down. "And then what happened?"_

"_...I remember standing there for a while, not knowing what to do. I thought it was my dad at first, but noticed that his hair was the wrong color, just a shade or two off, and he was a little fairer skinned than him, too. When I heard the cops at the door, I could barely move my legs to take me back downstairs. I put back on my suit to prevent any harm with my quirk, and let them in."_

_She nodded, taking in the story. "Did you know the man?"_

_Mayu shook her head._

"_Do you know where your dad could be?"_

_Again, the teen shook her head no._

"_Has your dad ever done anything to make you afraid before?"_

_At this, the sunset haired girl shot her head up to look in bewilderment at her._

"_What? No, of course not! He's always been nice and understanding, especially after…" She bit her lip, not wanting to finish that sentence._

"_After your mother died?" the lady continued for her, guessing accurately. "It says in the police reports that your old elementary school teacher was the assailant in that case. He had said something about your mother taking you away from him. Do you know why that is?"_

_This time, she nodded yes._

"_And why is that?"_

"_...Because of my quirk."_

"_Your quirk?"_

"_Yes… it made him do crazy things.."_

"_I see… and, does your quirk affect your father?"_

_She didn't want to answer that, knowing where her train of thought was going._

"_My father would never kill someone," Mayumi insisted._

"_That's what everyone said about Mr. Saitoshi when the trial took place, and look what he did."_

"_You're wrong," the tan teen insisted. "He's never been violent in his life! He wouldn't ever kill anyone! And I wasn't even there! My quirk wouldn't have made him do anything!"_

_The brunette sighed, rubbing her temple._

"_I didn't want to have to do this, but it seems you know nothing about who your father really is. Heide Storms isn't even his real name. There are no birth records anywhere, and all the documents he gave to his employers are forged. It was probably his quirk that kept them from looking too deep into them."_

_Mayumi couldn't help her eyes widening, couldn't help the way her breath hitched in her throat. Her voice came out as weak, unsure._

"_That… that's not true.. He would never.. wouldn't abuse his quirk like that…"_

_The officer gave her a look of pity._

"_I'm afraid it is. Of course, your birth records list your name as is, so he only forged his own documents. With how professionally done they were, it's safe to assume he's done it several times before."_

"_Are you.. saying that my dad is.. a villain?"_

"_I'm saying that it's a highly likely possibility, yes."_

**~End flashback~**

Tears formed in the Storms teen's eyes as the memory ended there. She choked down a silent sob, placing a hand over her mouth. She couldn't believe it; she _wouldn't_. Her father was nothing but kind and understanding. There's no way he could ever be a villain.

Was there?


	10. Out There

_**love**_

_**/ləv/**_

_**noun**_

_**1\. an intense feeling of deep affection.  
"babies fill parents with feelings of love"**_

_**Syn. deep affection, fondness, tenderness, warmth, intimacy, attachment, endearment**_

_**2\. a great interest and pleasure in something.  
"his love for football"**_

_**Syn. liking, weakness, partiality, bent, leaning, proclivity, inclination, disposition**_

_**verb  
1\. feel a deep romantic or sexual attachment to (someone).  
"do you love me?"**_

_**Syn. be in love with, be smitten with, be besotted with, be passionate about**_

* * *

Mayumi stared at herself in the mirror, looking over her figure. She wore her school issued uniform with her backpack slung over her shoulder, but nothing else. It was odd, not getting her hazmat suit on, but she didn't need it for her commute any more.

She had had two days to prepare herself for school to start again after the incident. Her father had yet to be found, and the police still considered him to be the main suspect in killing that man she had come across.

It wasn't a topic she wanted to talk about, so she would avoid it at all costs.

Checking to make sure she packed a bento box for lunch, the teen nodded to herself and tied her hair into a ponytail. This would decrease the chances of someone accidentally touching it.

The sunset haired girl took a deep breath.

"I can do this…"

And so she left the safety of her house to make her way to U.A.

* * *

The Storms teen stood outside her classroom door, mentally preparing herself for what was about to happen. She knew there would be questions about herself. Why the hazmat suit? Why is she not still wearing it? Who even is she? Her fellow classmates knew next to nothing about her, and they seemed to be a curious bunch. She had to try and not let her quirk flare up do to her nervousness.

However, just being in a room full of people always managed to make her nervous.

"It's okay," she tried to reassure herself. "I can do this.. They aren't going to _attack_ me, so it's fine."

Calmed down by her own pep-talk, the teenage girl gave a determined nod and opened the door, getting rid of the only barrier between her and quite a few pairs of eyes.

She stood in the entrance way, glancing around at her fellow students. Most of them seemed to be there, save for Iida.

"Oh, hey," Kiminari said, noticing her. "It's that girl from the USJ."

"Who is she? A transfer student?" Sero pondered.

"No, no, that's not it," Kirishima replied. "It's that person who always wore the big, yellow suit, right? They're the only other person not here yet."

More whispers and speculation circulated the classroom as Mayu stood there, a nervous sweat traveling down her face. Ducking her head, she sat in her seat besides the teacher's desk and buried her face into a textbook.

"You guys," Hagakure said. "Did you watch the news last night?"

"Yeah," Ojiro responded simply.

"It was so cool that we got a few seconds of screen-time. Though, I bet nobody noticed me hanging out in the background.."

"Probably not," Shoji said matter-of-factly.

"It was difficult to stand out when you're just gloves," added Ojiro.

"We're totally bog deals," Kiminari said, leaning back in his seat. "Those news channels love us. We're basically celebrities."

"Yeah, it's kinda crazy, right?" agreed Kirishima.

"Get over yourselves," Jiro sighed. "The hero course that pumps out pros was attacked, and that's what they care about."

Sero laid his head on his arms. "Who knows what would have happened to us if the teachers hadn't shown up."

"Why'd you say that?!" Mineta cried. "I'm gonna pee myself just thinking about it!"

"Oh, shut up!" Bakugou shouted. "Grow a pair, loser!"

"Did you guys see All Might fighting the bird guy?" Sato asked, changing the subject. "That dude was super strong, and he still destroyed him!"

"Yes," hummed Tokoyami. "His strength is truly a thing of wonder."

"Attention! Home room class is about to begin!" Iida charged into the class, shouting to the others. "Everyone, stop talking, and take your seats!"

"Uhm, we're all sitting."

"Yeah, you're the only one standing."

The Class Rep. sat down in his seat, sulking.

"Dang. It."

"Don't sweat it," reassured Uraraka.

"Hey," Ashido said to Tsu. "Soo, ah!" The frog-girl helped her straighten back out her chair. "Who do you think's gonna teach class today?"

"No idea. Mister Aizawa's still in the hospital recovering from his injuries."

All the students turned to the door when it opened, shocked to see their sensei back.

"Morning, class."

"MISTER AIZAWA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"Wow, what a pro!"

"Mister Aizawa, I'm glad you're okay!"

"You call _that_ okay?"

"My well-being is irrelevant. What's more important is that your fight isn't over yet."

"Our fight?" Bakugou questioned.

"Don't tell me," Midoriya said, fearing the answer.

"Not more bad guys!" Mineta trembled.

"The U.A. sports festival's about to start," he finished.

"Yes!"

"Let's go kick some ass!" Kirishima cried."

"Wait a second," Kiminari said, pushing the redhead back in his seat.

"Is it really such a good idea to hold the sports festival so soon after the villains snuck inside?"

"They could attack once we're all in the same place."

"Apparently, the administration thinks that this is a good way to show that the threat has been handled, and that our school's safer than ever. Plus, they're beefing up security compared to past years. This event is a huge opportunity for all students in U.A., not something we can cancel because of a few villains.

"Uhm, I'm sorry, but why not?" asked the grape-looking boy. "It's just the sport's festival."

"Huh?" Midoriya said, facing him. "Mineta, don't you know how important this competition is?"

"Of course I do! I just don't want to get murdered."

"Our sport's festival's one of the most-watched events in the entire world. In the past, everyone obsessed over the Olympic Games, but then quirks started appearing. Now the Olympics have been drastically reduced in terms of scale and viewership. For anyone who cares about competition, there's only one tournament that matters: the U.A. sports festival."

"That's right," Yaoyorozu confirmed. "And top heroes everywhere will be watching. This is where you get scouted."

"Sure, unless you're dead."

"She's right! After graduating, a lot of people join pro agencies as a sidekick!"

"Yeah, but that's as far as some people go. They miss their chance and then they'll stay eternal sidekicks. Actually, that's probably where you're headed, huh?"

Kiminari grimaced, offended by Jiro's statement.

"It's true that joining a famous hero agency can garner you greater experience and popularity. That's why the festival matters. If you wanna go pro one day, then this event could open the path for you. One chance a year, three chances in a lifetime. No aspiring hero can afford to miss this festival. That means that you better not slack off in your training."

"Yes, sir!"

"Class is dismissed."

* * *

As soon as the bell rang out for break, everyone in class 1-A started to happily chatter among themselves, excitedly talking about the sport's festival and their quirks. Mayumi did no such thing, instead focused solely on packing her books in her bag neatly and gathering her pencils together.

She didn't even know if she wanted to participate in the festival. The teen only now started to feel confident enough to show her face around the school. How would she handle potentially thousands of eyes watching her live?

That would be way too many people for her nerves to handle. If her quirk were to misfire even _once_, then that could be disastrous. The others didn't have to worry about their quirks getting them kidnapped, or causing people to become addicted to them like she did. And, at times, she couldn't help but be envious of them for it.

'_But that doesn't matter,'_ she tried to assure herself. '_If I want to be a pro hero, the sport's festival is a must-attend event. Even Mr. Aizawa said so.. I'll have to train myself around larger and larger groups in the two weeks we have. Let's hope I make it in time..'_

* * *

Once lunch rolled around, Mayu was unsure of what to do. She hadn't been in a school building since her quirk appeared at the standard age of four, and even though she's been attending U.A. for some time, she always ate out of sight in her homeroom class. Now that Midnight agreed she had a better handle on her power, the principal allowed her to eat with the others in the cafeteria, but she didn't know what to do with her newly acquired freedom.

Who should she sit with? Who should she talk to? What was rude to ask of someone you just met? What was appropriate lunch conversation? Would she be opposing on anyone if she tried to fit into their 'clique'?

A hand on her shoulder instantly snapped her out of her thoughts and put her guard on high alert. When she turned around, her hands grasped the offending wrist and quickly pulled them into a position that Midnight had taught her: hold your opponent's arm up by your face where their palm is facing outward and press down on the person's neck. A pair of glasses clattered to the floor as she took a look at who she was holding hostage.

Iida winced in pain as he tried to move, his arm in a rather uncomfortable position.

"I-I'm sorry if I startled you," the Class Rep. said, voice a bit strained.

Eyes widening a fraction, the sunset haired teen released her grip on him, allowing him to straighten up and replace his spectacles back on.

"No, I'm sorry," she apologized, bowing. "Please, forgive me. I'm just not used to others touching me, or being around anyone. I shouldn't have acted so defensively, especially in school."

The bluenette's own orbs enlarged. He waved his arms around frantically, trying to dispel the misunderstanding.

"No, no! You have every right to be on your guard, especially after what happened while we were on a U.A. training trip! Keeping your skills and senses sharp is exactly the kind of behavior fitting of a student enrolled in this illustrious school's curriculum!"

The girl slowly rose up, offering a tentative smile. "Right.. Did you need something?"

He nodded his head yes. "It has come to my attention that you have yet to make any friends in our class, and as Class Representative, it is my duty to make sure my fellow students feel equally welcomed and comfortable! I came over to offer you a seat at my table as an act of goodwill!"

The green eyed girl blinked her round eyes at his sporadic arm movements, unsure of how to respond to his ramblings. She gave a closed-eyed smile with a slightly unsure shadow to it.

"Uhm, sure, if you don't mind."

"Not at all! Right this way!"

Tenya led the way to where he usually sat with Izuku and Ururaka. The greenette wasn't there, though, as All Might had asked for him so that they could eat lunch together. The brunette smiled brightly at the new addition to their table.

"Hello! It's nice to finally meet you. Oh! Uh, not like we haven't seen each other before, seeing as you've been in class this entire time, but, you know, this is the first time we're talking face-to-face and.."

Mayu smiled softly as the other girl tried to defuse what could have been taken as an insult or blatant disregard of her presence.

"It's alright," she assured, silencing the other. "I didn't go out of my way to speak with anyone before, so it's only natural that this is our first proper introduction. My name is Storms, Mayumi. It's nice to meet you, too."

This caused the pink-cheeked girl to beam. "I'm Ochaca Uraraka! And this is Tenya Iida, though, I think the two of you spoke during the first day, right?"

The tan teen nodded. "Mhm. That's right."

The two began chatting as Mayumi silently ate her bento. They had moved on to talking about the sport's festival and their hopes for it. As if suddenly realizing they had yet to include her into the topic, Ururaka turned to her.

"Hey, what is your quirk? I couldn't quite tell, even with all that stuff at the USJ."

"Yes," Iida said, looking at the redhead as well. "I was also wondering the same thing. You had said you were using the hazmat suit to nullify your quirk's effects, but you discarded it during the attack."

Mayumi looked at them before her eyes fell back to her half-eaten bento.

"W-well, my quirk's a bit complicated, really.. It affects each person differently. The closest comparison I've heard for it is something my quirk counselor told me back when it first manifested. She had said that my quirk was like a drug because the sight of me triggers the neurons in the brain responsible for producing dopamine to fire. Too much of it can wear out a person's neuron receivers, making it harder and harder for them to feel that same rush, making them more insistent on seeing me, being near me, having me talk to them. But, that's not how it always works, either. If I'm trying to control it, it can end in one of three ways for that person: they can feel great admiration towards me, and want to be my friend and have me like them in general; they could feel romantically attracted to me, and try to do anything to make me pleased or happy, as each time I gratify them releases higher amounts of dopamine to their brain; or they become obsessed with me, desperate to feel any sort of connection to me. That's the most dangerous one, as I can't always reverse my quirk once it gets to that point. And the longer I have a person under my influence, no matter which of the first two stages it starts out as, if I keep them under it for too long, it will slowly morph into the third stage."

The other two students gaped at the girl, unable to come to grasp with what she had just told them. To have such utter power, and so little control over it was a scary thought. As if sensing their rising anxiety about her quirk, Mayumi quickly tried to backtrack.

"B-but, I mean, I've been training ever since I was accepted into U.A., and have a better handle on it than before, so there's really no need to worry!"

"That's…," Ochaka started, thinking of the proper words to use. "-amazing! Think of all the good things your quirk can do! In hostage situations, in negotiations! You could prevent deaths and easily save lives!"

Her brown eyes gleamed with excitement and awe. She may not be as hardcore as Izuku when it came to hero admiration, but she knew a good quirk when presented with one. Iida nodded his head, seeing where the pumped brunette was coming from.

"You'd also be great with interrogations, or making criminals give up important information when needed. You would make a fine hero, indeed."

Mayumi stared at the two in slight confusion. They were telling her the same thing people always have, but in a way she hasn't experienced before. They seem motivated by her explanation of her quirk, and not at all uneasy or concerned that she could very easily use it on them to make them her slaves, basically. Her power was riding the line of villainous with its mind-altering effects on people. Yet there they sat, smiling and encouraging her dream to become a hero within a few minutes of officially meeting her. A content smile settle on her face as a warm feeling filled her chest.  
'_So this is what it's like to have good friends.'_


	11. Sport's Festival

_**train-ing**_

_**/ˈtrāniNG/**_

_**noun**_

_**1\. the action of teaching a person or animal a particular skill or type of behavior.  
"in-service training for staff"**_

_**Syn. instruction, teaching, coaching, tuition, tutoring, tutelage, schooling, education, pedagogy, andragogy, drilling, priming, preparation, grounding, guidance, indoctrination, inculcation, lessons**_

"_**he got training in word-processing techniques"**_

_**2\. the action of undertaking a course of exercise and diet in preparation for a sporting event.  
"you'll have to go into strict training"**_

_**Syn. exercise, physical exercises, working out, body building**_

* * *

Mayumi stared as Ururaka gasped. All of the students looked to the door as they were leaving Aizawa's class at the end of the day.

"Uhm, why the heck are you all here?!" the brunette cried out.

"Do you students have some sort of business with our class," asked Iida.

Mineta chimed in. "Why are you blocking our doorway? I won't let you hold us hostage!"

"They're scouting out the competition, idiots," Bakugou stated bluntly, not at all deterred by the fact that masses of people stood in his way. "We're the class that survived a real villain attack. They want to see us with their own eyes."

"Let's just hope that he doesn't explode anybody," Midoriya muttered to the purple-haired boy.

"At least now you know what a future pro looks like. Now move it, extras."

Iida, Ururaka, and Midoriya all did their own thing after his declaration.

"So this is class 1-A," a boy said, moving to the front of the other students' throngs. His hair seemed to defy gravity and his eyes had heavy bags underneath them. "I heard you guys were impressive, but you just sound like an ass. Is everyone in the hero course delusional, or just you? How sad to come here, just to find a bunch of ego-maniacs. I wanted to be in the hero course, but like many others here, I was forced to choose a different track. Such is life. I didn't cut it the first time around, but I have another chance. If any of us do well in the sports festival, the teachers can decide to transfer us to the hero course. And they'll have to transfer people out to make room. Scouting the competition? Maybe some of my peers are, but I'm here to let you know that if you don't bring your very best, I'll steal your spot right from under you. Consider this a declaration of war."

The guy and Bakugou stared one another down before a silver-haired boy interrupted them.

"Hey, you! I'm in class 1-B next door to you! We heard that you fought some villains, and I came to see if that was true! But you're just a bunch of brats who think you're better than us! Talk all you want! It'll just be more embarrassing when you're K.O.'ed!"

Kastuki simply walked away from his raving rant, only stoking the guy's flames.

"Don't you ignore me!"

"Dude, where're you going?" Kirishima asked the hot-headed blonde. "You gotta say something! It's your fault they're all hating on us, Bakugou."

"These people don't matter."

"Huh?"

"The only thing that's important, is that I bet them."

Then he walked off, much to the silver-haired boy's chagrin.

The others started to complain about their classmate's behavior, understandably upset with what had just transpired. Mayumi sighed and shook her head. She would never understand that kid's brash behavior.

* * *

The two weeks flew by before the Storms teen had even realized it. She had been training hard with Midnight, and the pro hero had even convinced Aizawa and Nezu to set up training where she would use the entire class of 1-A to push her power's limits and see its effects on all of their unique personalities. She had vastly improved over the course of fourteen days, but one could only get so far with such a short deadline.

That was probably why she was in this particular predicament at the moment.

"No," her black-haired teacher replied, looking tired of the conversation that had just started.

The tan girl blanched.

"No? But you and Midnight have seen my progress! I can handle my quirk better, and I won't lose control!"

Huffing and rolling his eyes, Aizawa shoved his hands into his pockets. "You're right, we _have_ seen your progression, but that's all it is: _progress_. Can you guarantee not to let your mind wander too much while competing, and that you'll be managing it and your other quirk without ever slipping up?"

Black eyes bore into Mayu's head as her sensei waited for her answer. They both knew there was no retort she could say to prove that statement wrong while staying truthful. Her green orbs fell the floor in submission.

"...No, sir.."

"That's what I thought. Get out of your gym clothes. The tournament will take up all of the school hours, so head home or something."

Turning his back to the girl, Aizawa walked off. He had to go meet President Mic up in the spectator's booth for the first year's tournament. It was calloused, the way he spoke to his student, but he knew he had to prevent her from participating. Besides, it would give her and her class the advantage when they take the exam for their provisionary license.

The Storms teen sighed and did as told, heading into the locker room to change back into her school uniform. She hadn't thought to bring street clothes with her, so it would have to do.

* * *

Mayumi sat on the train, her hand clasping the hanging Tsurikawa while her other held her phone. Of course, as she expected, practically every news site and station were playing the sport's festival that was actively going on. Her mouth twisted into a small frown, barely noticeable to the eye. She heard several people whisper about her. She was wearing her U.A. uniform, after all, and they wondered why she wasn't participating in the event of the year.

She wondered that, too.

Midnight and Aizawa had promised her that she could participate if she made enough improvement over the two weeks they had to train. She guessed that she didn't reach the desired expectations.

The sunset-haired girl clicked off her phone once the train came to a halt. Gathering her bag, she got up and exited the compartment. It was barely mid-afternoon, so the sun was still hanging high in the sky.

Mayu could go home, but what good would sitting in an empty house do her? She made up her mind to try and train her charisma quirk a bit more.

'_The mall's a pretty crowded place,'_ she thought, looking around the area she was in. '_Maybe I could go there and see if I can keep it from affecting anyone.'_

Making up her mind, the tan teen turned in the opposite direction from her house and started on her way. She would show Aizawa just how far she'd come. She'd prove that she could handle being around large crowds.

If only she had chosen better.

* * *

It was roughly 1 PM when the green-eyed teen made it to her desired destination. Plenty of pedestrians wandered the mall's spacious interior, but not as many as there'd usually be at this time of day. The sport's festival was probably the main culprit for the shortage of people.

This didn't discourage the girl as she held her head high and made her way to the food court, which was situated in roughly the center of the mall.

'_I'll just make my way around, mill about a few places, and if three-o'-clock rolls around, and no one's been affected, then I'll leave and report my success to Aizawa-sensei when school starts again.'_

With this plan settled, Mayumi began her spiteful affair.

By the time her phone read two-thirty, the girl found herself to be utterly bored. There was nothing exciting about the mall, as she wasn't the kind of person to shop 'til she dropped. In fact, she's always avoided long-term shopping in fear that her quirk would cause a scene. Now that she was able to manage it better, though, nothing of interest had happened in her hour and a half walk. She was about ready to put an end to her activity early when she saw something from the corner of her eyes.

She felt her breath hitch in her throat as her body went stiff.

'_No.. that can't be him. Not here..'_

Slowly turning her head, the Storms teen focused on the person walking away from where she stood. It had only been a second as the stranger passed her, but that was enough for her to recognize the sunglasses that glinted in the artificial white lights.

They were leaving the building, and Mayu felt a sudden urge to follow. She had to know. The teen's legs moved automatically, rigidly trailing after her target. Muttering quiet 'excuse me's and soft 'sorry's, she weaved her way through the throngs of by-standers, orbs never once moving off her interest. She wouldn't lose them, she refused.

Stepping outside, the girl covered her eyes from the sun's harsh rays. In the time it took for her eyes to adjust, her prey had vanished from her sight. Breath catching her throat, the tan teen looked around in a panic. She was desperate to get to the bottom of this, but it seemed her opportunity was gone. It was only as she was dejectedly walking away from the mall did she spy that familiar yet odd mop of blonde hair duck into an alley did her hope rise in her chest.

Mayumi ran after the man, stopping at the mouth of the grimy little space between buildings. The man's back was to her, but his build was unmistakable. Her bottom lip trembled as she took a half-step forward, one hand raised as though to reach for his comfort.

"Dad?.."

Slowly, painfully slowly, he turned around and lifted his sunglasses to reveal the same dull-green hues that matched his daughter. He gave a soft smile at the sight of her.

"Hello, sweetheart."


	12. Simply Criminal

_**trick**_

_**/trik/**_

_**verb**_

_**past tense: tricked; past participle: tricked**_

_**1\. deceive or outwit (someone) by being cunning or skillful.  
"buyers can be tricked by savvy sellers"**_

_**Syn. deceive, delude, hoodwink, mislead, take in, dupe, fool, double-cross, cheat, defraud, swindle, outwit, outmaneuver, catch out, gull, hoax, bamboozle, beguile**_

_**HERALDRY**__**  
**__**2\. sketch (a coat of arms) in outline, with the colors indicated by letters or signs**_

* * *

Mayumi couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her father, the man in question to a murder in their house, was standing right in front of her, so close, yet it felt like a bottomless cavern separated them. There was an air of unease, yet the teen couldn't place her finger on what was unsettling to her. This was her dad, after all, and he would never harm her.

With this sentiment in mind, she took another step closer to the man who raised her.

"Dad.. what happened? Why are you here?" The girl had so many more questions flying through her head, all fighting to make their way past her lips, but she bit them back. Who knew how long they had?

"What do you mean, Mayu? You have to be more specific than that."

She furrowed her eyebrows, wondering why he was acting so aloof. He had never really avoided answering her questions before, but maybe it was just the circumstances.

"What happened at the house," she specified as requested. "Why did you leave without a trace, and why was there a dead man in your study?"

The man scratched the back of his neck, giving her a closed-eyed smile that caused a chill to run down her spine.

"Oh, _him_. Well, if you must know, he simply got in my way." He started to approach Mayumi, still giving that unsettling smile. "Now, why don't you tell me about what's happened since I've been away? Why aren't you at the sport's festival? Did you make any new friends in the hero course? I want to know all about you."

The way he phrased that last question seemed to shake the tan teen as she took a half-step back. This.. wasn't like her father in the least. He was acting too odd, too stiff as opposed to the bubbly, outgoing man that she knew.

It was scaring her.

"Wh-what are you talking about? You already know me," she said, unable to keep the unease out of her tone.

This only made his grin widen into an unnatural smirk. As he got closer, the Storms teen noticed a glint of metal by his side in his free hand. She didn't have time to see much of it, but what she saw was enough to confirm the weapon he held. It was a knife, one already stained with blood.

"Wow, your reactions are simply adorable. I hope Tomura doesn't mind if I cut you up a little~"

Her body froze as that name left the blonde man's mouth. Tomura, as in Tomura Shigaraki? The villain who launched the attack on USJ?

Before she could even ask as such, her father ran at her, aiming to dig the knife into the flesh of her shoulder. The sunset-haired teen barely managed to lean herself back enough so that the blade missed. Her mind raced, unable to handle what was happening.

'_Wh-what's he doing?! He's attacking me?!'_

She didn't get to think more about it before she fell on her butt, having gone off-balance by leaning back so far. The man who stood before her grinned and licked his lips, as though imagining tasting her blood.

"I'm sorry, _sweety_, but I need you to be a good girl and bleed for me."

Eyes going wide, Mayumi couldn't bring herself to move. She wondered where the heroes where, why there were none there to stop this. It briefly crossed her mind that most of the pros had been asked to be security for the sport's festival in case the villains struck again. Her being so far from the arenas, they wouldn't hear anything, even if she screamed at the top of her lungs. It appeared as though she was on her own for now.

Gasping softly, she barely managed to roll out of the way as her father brought down the knife onto the patch of asphalt she had been lying on just seconds ago. He really _was_ trying to injure her, his own flesh and blood.

"Now, just hold still," he chastised in a mocking way. "I can't get a clean cut if you keep moving like this."

Like Hell she was just going to sit there and allow this.. this _madman_ to end her life. She had to fight or run, but using her quirk was illegal, and she doubted she could outrun a fully grown man. She had to be smart, or else she'd die by her father's hands.

"Why are you doing this?" she questioned, standing up and putting as much accusation into her voice. "You said you'd always protect me! Especially after Mom died! Do you think she'd be happy about this?!"

Her words didn't seem to phase him at all as he chuckled, swinging the knife around carelessly. It was as though this was nothing more than a game to him.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm just trying to help~ Don't you want to see your mom again?~" he cooed.

She grit her teeth, eyes stealthily looking around for a way to escape. As it was, he was blocking her exit of the alleyway, having herded her to the dead-end behind them. He may have seemed to act recklessly by swinging at her, but he was truly very calculative with his strikes. If the fight was drawn out, she knew she would be dead, as the more time he had to think, the more time he had to plan his attacks.

Again, she tried to hurt him with her words.

"You know, the police suggested that you were a villain, but I refused to believe them. I was so sure that my dad had not a single evil bone in his body, but I guess I didn't know you at all, did I?"

Her words held venom as she didn't try to hide her hurt or betrayal one bit. It was supposed to make him feel guilty for his actions, but it only seemed to amuse him as he laughed.

"I'm sorry, but this is just too funny! You think that I care?"

Ouch.

"You're just as useless as your mother was."

Double ouch.

As he opened his mouth to talk again, Mayumi focused on the atoms of the knife. She willed them to speed up their movements, making them grow hotter with friction. It wasn't long before the handle caught fire, burning Heide's hand and making him drop the weapon with a cry. While he was distracted, she rushed him, shoving him out of her way.

It was a risky move, to touch him, as his quirk, like her own, worked better with physical contact of their target, but she had to chance that he was too distracted to use it. The teen dashed out of the alley and frantically looked around for someone to help. The streets were abandoned, however, which meant she needed to find somewhere where there were people to either help or call the police.

Subconsciously, the redhead reached for her own phone as she dashed down the road, only to find it no longer in her blazer pocket.

"Damn it," she cursed, continuing her escape. "It must've fallen out when I fell down.."

Her father watched as she fled him, his mouth turning into a childish pout. Grey muck overcame his features as his body morphed into a girl with blonde hair and golden eyes. Her knife was clutched in her fist.

"Awe, she got away, and I didn't even get any of her yummy blood. No fair."

Toga had to admit, though, that with her fiery red locks, Mayumi was cute. She'd look even better, however, if she had let her cut her up and cover her in beautiful red crimson.

With that, she began to skip away, humming softly as she went. No point in chasing after her now. Besides, the plan was mostly put into motion, though, Shigaraki will probably be mad that she didn't get what she needed, but she was sure they could use the slightly banged up cell phone she grasped in her other hand.

* * *

Mayumi only stopped running once she had made it back towards the mall. Her uniform was dirty, and there was a tear along her shoulder where the knife's blade had grazed her. Luckily, there wasn't any blood so that she wouldn't catch an infection.

As soon as she went up to a lady, the woman immediately called the police for her. Mayumi told them all about her encounter, and a police cruiser was dispatched to pick her up so she could take a statement once more.

She was shaken up from her encounter. It was still hard to believe that her father was a villain, and that he was willing to hurt his own daughter.

It didn't once cross her mind to wonder why he didn't try to use his quirk to stop her. Perhaps she was just too riled up to notice.

She was silent as the police officer gently ushered her into the car, and didn't utter a word the entire ride to the police station. There wasn't much for her to say, having realized that her father did, indeed, murder the man she found in their house. That he forged his documents and lied to everyone they knew. That he had the nerve to mock her deceased mother like he never cared about her to begin with. That she never really knew who her father was for her entire life.

The Storms teen stared out the window as they drove, lost in her own thoughts about the encounter she had gone through less than an hour ago.

If only she knew she had been tricked.


	13. Blazing Passion

_**pas-sion**_

_**/ˈpaSHən/**_

_**noun  
1\. strong and barely controllable emotion.  
"a man of impetuous passion"**_

_**2\. the suffering and death of Jesus.  
"meditations on the Passion of Christ"**_

_**Syn. crucifixion, pain, suffering, agony, martyrdom; rare martyrization**_

"_**the Passion of Christ"**_

* * *

Mayumi exited the police office, bringing a hand up to block the harsh sun's rays. It was almost sunset now, and she was sure the sport's festival was over. The cops were positive now that her father had killed the man, although the motive and connection between the two was still undetermined. They put out an alert on him, and if he's spotted by any heroes or officers, then he would surely be brought in and arrested.

The police had wanted to keep Mayu there, and have Child Protective Services called to take her to a temporary home and see about adoption or an orphanage, but the tan teen had politely declined, using her quirk without their knowledge so that they would listen to her. She hated abusing her power like that, but she didn't want to be pulled out of U.A., not when they've helped her come so far with her control.

The redheaded girl sighed as she made her way home. It was a good thing she knew how to get to the house from the station, otherwise she'd be lost. After all, she didn't have her phone to guide her.

It wasn't like she could just buy a new one, either. The money she had from her father wasn't a small amount, but she knew she'd have to make it last until she was able to get a job of her own. Considering she was only fifteen, that was two years of living off his savings while paying off the bills for water and electricity, not to mention groceries.

The girl was in deep thought as her legs carried her to her destination. She stared at the ground whilst her hands clasped the strap of her over-the-shoulder bag she used for school. The students of U.A. had the next two days off so they could recover from any injuries during the sport's festival. That was two days for her to try and get her thoughts in order after the events of the day. She was glad to have that time to herself.

Mayu was in no way close to any of her classmates, and it would seem a bit personal if she were to dump this newfound information onto any of them. She'd feel bad for ruining their mood after their successes or failures they had gone through.

Being so deep in thought, she failed to notice the figure on top of a near-by building. Their red scarf billowed in the wind as beady eyes stared down the girl.

* * *

The Storms teen walked to school, her dark blue umbrella open to block the rain from her figure. The color had a striking resemblance to her father's naturally blue hair, minus the silver specks in it that matched the midnight sky.

Of course it had to be raining as soon as their break was over.

Entering the school building, she shook out her umbrella and placed it with all the rest before heading up to class. She knew the others would be talking about the festival, and she felt like she was a bit out-of-touch with all of them. How could she relate to anything they would discuss?

'_While you were competing and getting scouted, I ran into my criminal of a dad and was nearly murdered'_ would _not_ cut it.

As soon as she opened the door, already she could hear her classmates going at it.

"It's so weird that people recognize us from T.V.!" Ashido exclaimed. "Everyone wanted to talk to me on my way here."

"Yeah!" agreed Kirishima. "Me, too!"

"People on the street were staring at me," Hagakure practically swooned. "It was kinda embarrassing."

"Sure, but isn't that pretty normal for you?"

"You won't believe what a bunch of elementary school brats yelled at me," lamented Sero.

"Nice try?" Tsuyu guessed.

"Nooooooo!"

"All it took was one sport's festival, and suddenly, we're like celebrities!"

"This school really is amazing," Mineta said.

"Morning," Aizawa said, opening the door to 1-A.

"Good morning, Sensei," the students responded in sinc, all seated in their respective spots.

"Ribbit. Aizawa-sensei, you don't have bandages anymore. That's good news."

"The old lady went a little overboard with her treatment," he replied monotonously. "Anyway, we have a big class today, about Hero Informatics. You need code-names. Time to pick your hero identities."

Almost instantly, the class exploded into cheers and whoops. To regain control over everyone, Aizawa activated his quirk, eyes glowing red and hair floating up. This silenced the students on instinct.

"This is related to the pro-hero draft-picks that I mentioned the last time we were in class together. Normally, students don't have to worry about the draft yet, not until their second or third year, actually, but your class is different. In fact, by extending offers to first years like you, pros are essentially investing into your potential. Any offers can be rescinded if their interest in you dies down before graduation."

"Stupid, selfish adults," Mineta muttered.

"So, what you're saying is that we'll still have to prove ourselves after we've been recruited."

"Correct. Now, here are the total for those of you who got offers." Clicking a remote, causing a small chart to appear with names, bars, and numbers. "In past years, it's been more spread-out, but there's a pretty big gap this time."

"Gah! That's no fair.."

"What about the real star: moi?"

"Todoroki got the most, ahead of Bakugou?"

"Yeah, it's the opposite of how they placed in the festival."

So now, Mayumi knew who had won and came in second, but she focused on the talking more than dwelling on those facts. It came as no surprise to her, really.

"They probably weren't excited about working with the guy who had to be chained up at the end."

"If I scared a pro, they're just weak!" the hothead exclaimed.

Yaoyorozu sighed before turning to address the bi-colored male.

"That's amazing.. You must be proud."

"These offers are probably because of my father," he grumbled.

Uraraka shook Iida excitedly. "People want us!"

Mineta shook the broccoli haired boy. "Midoriya, you got none! I bet everyone was really grossed out by the crazy way you were fighting."

"Despite these results, you'll _all_ be interning with pros. Got it? Even those of you who didn't get any offers."

"Oh, so, we're all interning?"

"Yes. You already got to experience combat with real villains during the attack on USJ facility." His eyes flicked over to Mayumi. "And Storms experienced another villain attack during the sport's festival." Ah, so the police had told her teachers about it. She supposed it made sense, as they were pro heroes. "But it would still be helpful to see pros at work. Up-close and personal, in the field, first-hand."

"And, for that, we need hero names!"

"Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!" Uraraka cheered.

"These hero names will likely be temporary, but take them seriously, or-"

"You'll have Hell to pay later!"

The classroom door opened to reveal none other than Midnight, the r-rated heroine that had been helping Mayu train. Some of the boys in class blushed and seemed to get excited about her appearance.

"What you pick today could be your code name for life. You better be careful, or you'll be stuck with something utterly indecent."

"Yeah, she's got a good point," Aizawa agreed. "Midnight is going to have final approval over your names. It's not my forte." He pulled out his yellow sleeping bag. "The name you give yourself is important. It helps reinforce your image and shows what kind of hero you want to be in the future. A code-name tells people exactly what you represent. Take All Might, for example."

Then he started passing out white boards and markers. Mayu bit her lip as she thought about what she wanted to be called. What could she focus on quirk-wise? She her name portray her charisma or her control over atoms? Or should she do something else? It was hard for her to pick when she didn't even know what kind of hero she wanted to be. Uraraka and Iida had told her that her quirk of charisma was great for hostage situations, interrogations, and the like.

Perking up, the teen quickly wrote on her board, coming up with an idea she thought fit her look and power set. It was short, and to the point, not to mention described her passion.

"Now, students. Who among you is ready to share?"

As the other students murmured their discontent for sharing their picked names, Aoyama walked up to the podium.

"Hold your breath," he announced before flipping his board over. "The Shining Here. My name is 'I can not stop twinkling!' Mon ame, you can't deny my sparkle."

"It'll be better this way," the heroine said, writing on his board. "Take out the 'i', and shorten the 'can not' to 'can't'."

"It's stunning, mademoiselle."

"She likes it?!"

"Also, you're not really French, are you? That's just an act!"

"Okie dokie! Let me go next," Ashido exclaimed, running to the front. "My code-name: Alien Queen!"

"Hold on! Like that horrible monster with the acidic blood?! I don't think so!"

"Dang it…"

"Ribbit, I think I've got one. Okay if I go next?"

"Come on up!"

"I had this name in mind since grade school. Rainy Season Hero: Froppy."

"That's delightful! It makes you sound approachable. What a great example of a name everyone will love!"

Most of the students began cheering, save for Bakugou and Todoroki. "Froppy! Froppy!"

Steadily, more and more students shared their names, some paying homage to past heroes who no longer worked, others taking on all new names for themselves. Others simply used their names in place of code names. Of course, Katsuki's was denied, as no one wants to be helped by someone named 'King Explosion Murder'.

Finally, it was Mayu's turn to share her name. She felt a bit hesitant, as the others might not get what she was going for. She stood up and got behind the podium, her white board hidden at first. Midnight smiled at the tan teen.

"Go ahead, dear," the pro encouraged.

With a deep breath in and out, she turned her board around to expose her pick.

"The Passionate Hero: Ignis Fatuus."

The Storms teen saw the confusion on several people's faces. The purple-haired woman also looked a bit lost.

"And why that name?"

"Well, Ignis means fire in Latin, and I think that describes my passion for becoming a reliable hero. 'Ignis fatuus' means a will-o'-the-wisp, or something deceptive or deluding, a light that causes combustion, or a deceptive goal or hope."

This only further puzzled everyone.

"Why do you want to be known for being a lie?" asked Kiminari. "That doesn't seem like something a hero should do."

Mayu sighed. "It's not to be taken literally. My quirks allow me to catch things on fire, to slow things down, to speed things up, or to freeze liquid matter due to my controlling of atoms, and to make people do what I say. However, I won't be manipulating people like my quirk entails. I'll be a hero who's trustworthy and tells the truth. I won't abuse my powers to lengthen my standing in life, only to save lives and be helpful. As a hero, I'll prove my name wrong time and time again. It's not a description of me, it's my declaration and goal to surpass my own expectations."

As she spoke, her green eyes, which are usually dull, seemed to hold a blazing fire. And, complemented with her hair, it made her look determined and ready to face the world. She was given a spark, and made a roaring flame that shone throughout her being. All of them, the students and Midnight, got to see just how driven the girl was. She truly would be an inspiration to future generations.

Izuku couldn't help but awe at her resolve. A hero name had traditionally been a moniker that described and represented them, but Mayumi was going about it in the exact opposite direction. It was refreshing, really, and only made him solidify his decision to use the name he was thinking of.

Midnight smiled and held up her thumb in approval. "It's perfect. People can call you Ignis for short, and it would still have a meaning away from 'fatuus'. I approve!"

After Uraraka, the pro heroine looked to the clock.

"To be honest, choosing names is going faster than I thought it would. All we have left is young Bakugou, who needs to rethink his, and Iida. Oh, yes. And Midoriya, too."

Iida went up and showed his white board.

"You're using your real name, too? Well, Midoriya, are you ready?"

"Oh, yes." He stood and walked to the podium as well. It caused a stir in the class as people questioned his choice. "Right. I used to hate it, but then, something changed. I guess, someone taught me that it could have a different meaning, and that had a huge impact on how I felt, so now, I really like it. Deku, that has to be my code-name."

Mayumi looked up at the scrawny boy. He may seem weak and ordinary, but this boy… He really knew how to impact people with his words.

Then it was Bakugou's turn again, and all inspiration was wiped away.

"Lord Explosion Murder!"

"That's basically the same thing," deadpanned Midnight.

* * *

"Now that everyone's decided on their hero names, we can go back to talking about your upcoming internships. They'll last for one week. As to who'll you'll be working with, those of you on the board will choose from among your offers. Everyone else will have a different list. You have a lot to think about. There are about forty agencies across the country who have agreed to take on interns from your class. Each agency has a different specialty that its heroes focus on. Keep that in mind."

"Imagine that you were Thirteen," Midnight started. "You'd want to choose a place that focuses on rescuing people, not fighting villains. Understand?"

"Think carefully before you decide."

"Yes, sir!"

The bell rang as sheets were handed out. "Turn in your choices before the weekend."

Mayumi stretched as she started to pack up her belongings. She hadn't been given a sheet like the others. She went to Aizawa about it.

"Sensei, you didn't hand me the list of agencies to pick from."

"You're right, I didn't," he answered bluntly. "You won't have the opportunity to choose your own agency. The school chose for you. You'll be interning with me, so that I can erase your quirk if it acts up while we're in public."

The Storms teen felt her jaw nearly drop.

"But I can control it, Sensei! This is all really unnecessary!"

His blank expression didn't change much at her words; in fact, he seemed more agitated than he previously had.

"Even if I wanted to change it, the decision was finalized by the principal and school board. My hands are tied."

"But that's not fair! I missed the sport's festival, so this internship could be my only chance this year to get noticed by pro agencies!"

"You'll have plenty of chances in your second and third year," Aizawa replied dismissively. "You arrived at U.A. severely behind the other students in skill level. It's only natural that you have to take more time to hone your abilities. Or was all that talk about your hero name just empty words?"

The scraggly man looked down at her from the corner of his eye, not even giving her the courtesy of facing her. She clenched her teeth but didn't answer. It was times like this that she wished she owned a punching bag to take her frustrations out on.

As he was leaving the classroom, the pro hero stopped.

"Oh, the principal wanted me to inform you that U.A. will be paying for your living expenses. He said something about not wanting to have a student transfer out due to circumstances out of everyone's control. That doesn't mean go crazy with your money. You still need to save as much of it as you can."

Then he left, Midnight hot on his heels.

She heard the chatter of the other students. They all sounded excited to choose their interning positions, and up until Aizawa had sprung the latest tid-bit on her, so was Mayu. Now, she just wanted it all done and over with.

As she slumped down in her seat and groaned into her arms. It was going to be one Hell of a long week...


	14. Internship: Days 1 & 2

_**out-look**_

_**/ˈoutˌlo͝ok/**_

_**noun  
a person's point of view or general attitude to life.  
"broaden your outlook on life"**_

_**Syn. point of view, viewpoint, views, slant, angle, interpretation, opinion, thinking, way of thinking, perspective, attitude, standpoint, stance, position, frame of mind**_

"_**the two men were wholly different in character and outlook"  
a view.  
"the pleasant outlook from the lodge window"**_

_**Syn. view, vista, prospect, panorama, scene, aspect, exposure, surroundings**_

"_**the house has a lovely open outlook over the golf course"**_

* * *

"Everyone has their costumes, right?" Aizawa asked the students at the train station. "Remember, you don't have permission to wear them out in public yet. And don't lose them or anything."

"Gotcha!" exclaimed Ashido.

"Speak properly," their teacher scolded. "It's 'yes, sir,' Ashido."

"Yes, sir…"

"Make sure you mind your manners with the other heroes during your internships. Now, get to it."

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone chattered and talked as they made their way to their trains, Mayumi watching them go with their bags and suitcases. She wished she could join them, be as happy as they were. Aizawa looked down at her sulking figure before turning around.

"Storms, let's go."

Sighing, the tan teen gave a soft, 'yes, Sensei,' and trailed after the man.

* * *

Mayumi was a bit surprised when they arrived at a house not more than an hour and a half away from the train station. It had an older Japanese aesthetic while somehow also looking modern in a sense. It had the classic tapered roof that curled toward the edges and paper panes instead of windows, but the door wasn't a sliding one, which made it not as easy to break into as in the old days. The house wasn't too big, either. It was actually quite cozy with a few cats laying around in the shade. Aizawa paid them no mind as he unlocked the front door and motioned for the girl to follow him in.

She did as instructed, entering and removing her outdoor shoes. After a second of looking around, she spotted the guest slippers and put them on. They were quite comfortable.

"I have paperwork to do," her teacher started, "so try not to snoop around. The guest room is down the hall and two doors to the left. Bathroom's first on the right. Try not to make a mess."

And, with those parting words, the tall man made his way in the opposite direction, seemingly uninterested in what his student would do in his absence. The teen pouted, slinging her suitcase over her shoulder as her other hand grasped her backpack's strap. She eventually went to where she would be staying for the next week.

"Stupid sensie.. Not even going to teach me anything.. This totally sucks…."

Muttering under her breath, the redhead set to work in organizing her things neatly in the space provided. It was pretty bare in the room, as the rest of the house she had seen had been. It came as no surprise that her teacher would be so minimalistic. He didn't seem the type to be big on having a cramped living space.

Once everything had been settled in its proper place, the green-eyed teen sighed and laid on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Hopefully, this week goes by fast…"

* * *

She must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing she knew, someone was yanking off the covers from her body. The cold air was a harsh jolt from her warm comforter, making the girl bolt up, eyes wide and frantic. She felt the adrenaline pump through her veins as she looked for the source of her sudden wake-up call.

There stood Aizawa, an unimpressed sneer on his face, his eyes looking as bloodshot as always.

"Time to wake up," he said, voice flat and monotone.

With that, he dropped her blanket to the floor and turned to leave.

"Breakfast is ready. I expect you to be ready for training in fifteen minutes. Meet me out back once you're done. If you're late, I'll make you wish you never enrolled at U.A."

Mayu let out her breath she hadn't realized she was holding once the door shut and she was alone. What time was it? There wasn't even any sunlight coming in from her paper 'window'.

The tan teen reached for the nightstand reflexively, only to remember that it had been lost the day of the Sports Festival, leaving her no way of checking the time without a clock in the room.

This only mounted to the growing frustrations of the teen as she dropped herself back onto the mattress with a distressed groan.

'_Today's gonna suck, isn't it?'_

* * *

The Storms girl rubbed her bleary eye as she stood outside. The sun had still yet to raise over the horizon, leaving the setting moon as the only source of illumination for her to see by. It wasn't much, seeing as it was a waning crescent phase. She had barely had any time to eat and get dressed, so there was no way for her to brush out her hair or color coordinate her clothes. So the teen had just thrown on the first thing her hands had touched while fishing around in her backpack. That ended up being a baggy white t-shirt, a black undershirt, and pale blue shorts that barely stuck out of the shirt's bottom. Not the best for training, but definitely not the worst. And, while she had been eating in the dining room, she had seen a clock hanging in the kitchen. Her teacher had taken it upon himself to wake her up at three in the goddamn morning, and she was in no way happy about it.

Speaking of the man, the revenette had his arms crossed as he stared at her in a disapproving way.

"You're late," he stated simply.

"By two minutes," she replied, tone exhausted but pointed.

"What did I tell you on the first day of class?" he responded boredly. Then, faster than her groggy mind could comprehend, Aizawa jumped up and behind his student, kicking her back. "Time is precious."

Mayumi, being too tired to coordinate her body, fell on the ground face-first, the impact jarring her already frazzled mind.

"Get up," her sensei instructed. "You want to be a hero? A villain can attack you at any point in time, anywhere. It's a hero's job to remain vigilant and spatially aware, even in the dead of night or crack of dawn."

Blinking the sleep and dirt out of her eyes, the girl slowly picked herself up off the ground. Apparently, she must have been taking too long for his liking because, just as she had hoisted herself onto her feet, she received another swift kick to her knees, knocking her over once more.

The older man glared down at her as though looking down on her as if he was better.

"I said, get up, Storms."

"I could get up if you stopped kicking me!" she snapped, turning to fix him with a scathing look of her own.

"If you can't even stand on your own two feet, then what makes you think that you have it in you to save others? What do you have that makes you able to handle the responsibility of someone else's life?"

This made her a bit shocked. Handle another person's life? She hadn't heard anyone phrase it in such a way before. The angry expression she sported dropped as she silently stayed in place on the grass.

"Your quirk is out of control. You believe it has a mind of its own, and you fear it lashing out. That's why you can't get a handle on it. You act like you and it are two separate beings, so you try to force it down. This sort of suppression only makes you constantly nervous, and, after some time, you'll be bound to mess up. Instead of trying to ignore your quirk, you need to learn to accept it, channel it, make it your own, and wield it without worry. When you learn to open yourself up to your power, you'll be able to reach your full potential."

Mayumi nodded once, showing that she understood his message, looking past his initial display of disinterest. She did understand him, though. She didn't necessarily think that her quirk had a literal mind of its own, but she did blame it for a lot of things that went wrong in her life like it was a physical thing that chose to do wrong.

Like the death of her mother.

That's probably the main reason as to why she shied away from using her father's quirk as much as possible. It had made her teacher crazy, and, in turn, he ended up killing her mother for 'keeping Mayu away from him', in his words.

"Now," Aizawa said again, his expression still stony and cold. "Get up, Storms. Prove to me that you deserve to have been accepted into the hero course."

A determined fire lights in her eyes and shows through her grin as she stood up and wipes some loose grass blades and dirt from her cheek.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Aizawa watched as the sunset haired teenager attacked the training dummies he had set up. He was having her use her other quirk so she could get used to using it more often. She hadn't had a lot of chances to work on her quirks, so he was using the week he had to, not only keep an eye on the girl in case her father showed back up, but to ensure she wouldn't be helpless against anyone influenced by her Charisma.

As a young boy, Aizawa had the exact opposite problem with his own quirk. No matter what he tried, he had a hard time figuring out how to activate his quirk. He wasn't a very emotional person, even as a kid, but it would frustrate him to no end when his quirk would flare up of its own accord. It took him some time to come to terms with his quirk being tied to a feeling of protectiveness. It wasn't something he was used to, having to make himself feel an emotion to trigger his Erasure quirk.

In that regard, he was sure he was the foil of Mayumi. She seemed to be rather attached to her emotions. She was self-conscious, yet seemed to be rather happy for the most part. After her father turned out to be a villain, she became a bit more reserved, but it wasn't like she was entirely outgoing to start with. He knew it was mainly due to her being afraid that her quirk would ruin everyone's minds, but she got to the point where she no longer needed her safety crutch of the hazmat suit. It was a start, to say the least.

It may have been the principal's decision to stick Shouta with Mayu because he could counteract her quirk with his own, but the raven haired man figured it was because he was probably the best suited to help her grow and learn self-restraint.

He felt a sense of pity towards the teen. Her father wants her dead for some reason and killed a man in her own home. Her mother was dead, and she could blame herself for it, too. It was someone under the influence of her quirk, after all.

Shaking his head, Aizawa looked away from the training girl and towards the sun. It was pretty high in the sky, meaning it must have been somewhere around mid-day. They hadn't taken a break since they started at three-twenty that morning.

"Hey, time for lunch," he called, catching the girl's attention. "Head to the kitchen. You'll have twenty minutes to eat and rest."

Panting, she wiped some blood away from her nose and gave her teacher a thumbs up. It seemed she had overused her quirk, but she had kept going despite the pain that must be flooding her body from exertion. She was certainly something more than he had first given her credit for.

Aizawa supposed he must have been wrong about how much resolve she had. His outlook on his student was slowly changing. He shouldn't really be surprised, though. All of his first-years had steadily proved to him to be different from any of his other classes he taught before.


	15. Internship: Day 3 Part 1

_**Shrine**_

_**/SHrīn/**_

_**noun**_

_**a place regarded as holy because of its associations with a divinity or a sacred person or relic, marked by a building or other construction.**_

_**Similar: holy place, temple, church, chapel, tabernacle, altar, sanctuary, sanctum, stupa, tope, dargah, marabout, tirtha, chorten, sacrarium, nymphaeum, fane, martyry, ciborium, feretory**_

_**Verb: LITERARY**_

_**enshrine.**_

* * *

Mayumi was shocked, to say the least, to see the city of Hosu up in flames. The blazing heat scorched her delicate skin as the wind swept it past her. She gaped in awe at the large, deformed creatures that attacked anyone close enough to catch their attention. Ambers and ash were scattered through the air, falling in a slow dance like fireflies taking flight. Her sunset locks wildly twisted and flew about similarly to the fire that lapped up buildings and lit up the night sky.

How had the day gone so awry?

A large beast -which is the only name she could think that fit it- landed before her, causing her eyes to widen as her breath caught in her throat.

"Nomu..."

* * *

It started after Aizawa had told Mayu to come inside for lunch. The teen had been up since 3 AM, in accordance to the pro hero's odd sleeping schedule, and had stuck to the training regimen he had given her the day before. She was determined to stick to it, knowing that she had much more progress to make than her fellow classmates. She was at a disadvantage of not having her entire childhood to develop and experiment with her her quirks, so he gave her several exercises and methods to expand her knowledge and come up with more resourceful and tactical uses.

The red-headed girl panted softly as she approached the back door. She had broken a sweat on her brow, but otherwise was fine. One could say that she'd already started to improve her tolerance, however little it was. It was still a form of progress, and that's what counted.

Upon reaching the small table in the living room -Mayumi had learned that her sensei was very minimalistic in his furniture, and had nothing that he didn't need-, she found two plates set out with Yakitori resting in neat rows on each. The chicken smelled like a divine mix of onions, soy sauce, and mirin. Another thing said Storms had learned in her stay with her teacher was that he was an amazing cook. Not as good as Lunch Rush back at U.A., but still pretty decent.

As she sat down with her legs tucked under her, a small frown formed on her face. Shouta noticed how she tilted her chin down so that her bangs covered her green-ish grey eyes. By the way her jaw clenched and how her hands balled into tight fists, he knew she was thinking about something upsetting. What, he wasn't sure, but he could take a guess..

And he was exactly right.

Mayu bit her bottom lip as she couldn't help but compare the way her teacher acted like a sort of surrogate father, however unintentional it was. He motivated her, in his odd way, pushed her to do better, held her to a higher standard because he knew she was capable of more. He clothed her, fed her, and gave her his home as her's temporarily so that they could train easier. And, even though she wasn't told directly, she figured Nezu stuck her with Aizawa for her protection as well. Because her _actual_ dad was trying to murder his daughter.

She remembered when Heide would make her Okonomiyaki when she would cry, whether it be from loneliness from having to stay cooped up at home all the time, to grieving over the loss of her mother.

Sensing the turmoil of the young teen, the ravenette sighed and placed an awkward hand on top of her head, not caring if her quirk accidentally lashed out at him for the physical interaction, but knowing full-well he could negate its effects later if need be.

"Don't sweat the small stuff," he began, not very sure of how reassuring he could be. "Even in the darkest of caves, creatures manage to live. No matter how bleak life looks, there's always a way to grow."

Taking his hand off her hair, he rubbed the back of his neck like nothing happened.

"Eat your food. It's getting cold."

The tanned teen smiled gratefully at her sensei, unshed tears welled in her orbs, but they remained captivated. She would not cry, not anymore. She had to be strong. Not just for herself, but to those who need a hero. With an affirmative nod, she picked up one of the kabobs and began to eat.

* * *

Mayumi walked looked up from her book, having been reading it as her cell phone was still missing -she resigned herself to the fact that it was probably gone for good- and she wanted to keep her mind occupied while riding the bullet train. She was still a bit nervous about being around so many random people even though she had put on a large scarf and beanie hat to hide most of her face and hair.

What was she doing away from Aizawa, one may ask? Well, she had told him she wanted to visit her mother's grave by herself. He had been reluctant, but after the display that afternoon at lunch, he eventually gave in. She had reassured him she'd stay out of trouble. Besides, what problems could a sixteen-year-old get into at dusk?

The evening was quiet as she made her way to the cemetery not far from Hosu General Hospital. Sure, her mother had died quite a ways away from Hosu, but when she and her dad had moved the last time, he had erected a small shrine to Cheiro so that they didn't have to travel for several days just to visit during the year.

It was lonely. No one else was present with her, save for the rows upon rows of monuments and tombstones. The graveyard was strangely beautiful in a melancholy way. Flower bouquets, old and new, dotted the lots, grass and dead leaves swirled in the evening breeze, and dead trees speckled the space. It seemed like all the plants were in between the stages of life and death, as were the occupants and visitors of the area. Such a lovely travesty, the human life cycle. All are bound to it, except maybe those who's quirks may allow otherwise.

Walking down the worn dirt path that she had memorized by heart, Mayu made her way to the Kamidama shrine dedicated to her mother. Her father had asked special permission to have one placed here, and perhaps he used his quirk to get his way, for Kamidama shrines are usually a household shrine for departed ones with offerings. It was placed beneath a Sakura tree, so that when it blooms, the petals and flowers would grace the shrine in beauty and shade. It was very unconventional to have a family shrine in a public setting, but the red-head enjoyed the abnormality of it, as her mother was not one for following tradition in the first place.

Once she stood in front of the Kamidama, the tan teen got on her knees and then bowed forward, placing a fresh rice ball on the white bowl along with new incense sticks that she lit with her quirk. After raising her head back up, she placed her hands neatly in her lap as she smiled softly at the shrine.

"Hi, Mom. It's me."

* * *

Walking back toward the train station, Mayumi adjusted the scarf to cover above her nose, but not too high as to obscure her sight. Her peaceful and somber walk was interrupted when she heard a loud explosion not too far off. Her eyes widened as she looked toward the commotion. Black smoke billowed up above the buildings, signalling a fire was not too far off.

Without thinking, the teen felt her legs take action as she propelled herself in the direction of the fire. As she got nearer, the sounds of panicking people reached her ears. Whatever was going on wasn't your run-of-the-mill villain sighting.

Upon reaching what she assumed was the epicenter, the green-eyed girl gaped at the sight before her. A literal bus had been thrown aside like it weighed nothing and exploded, tossing someone away from the impact.

What she saw next took her breath away.

Wild eyes. Large, bulging muscles. Brains sticking out of their heads. They looked like the _thing_ that attacked during the USJ event. Another explosion, this one causing her scarf and skirt to whip around crazily. She shielded her face instinctively, squinting to try and see.  
Heroes scrambled to put out the fires and subdue the beasts, but it seemed to be in vain. Suddenly, Mayumi saw a flash of green and black take off in the opposite direction, and it barely registered that Midoryia Izuku was right there, going down an empty alley away from the attacks.

She furrowed her eyebrows, unsure if she should follow him or try to use her mother's quirk to put out the fires. However, using her quirk would be illegal, especially with all those heroes around to enforce the law. Her hands clenched as she ground her teeth. She wanted to _help_. Being a hero was what she wanted to be when she graduated, so why couldn't she?

'_Well, the pros are here already_,' she found herself thinking. '_They can help one another better than I can with my limited fighting knowledge. I'd just be in the way, a liability.. Midoriya, however, has a quirk that injures him when used.. He would need someone's help if he were forced into a situation where fighting would be his only option..'_

With a curt nod, the tan teen turned on her heel and chased after her classmate, determined to prevent him from unnecessary harm.

'_Hold on, Midoriya-san… I'll keep you safe!'_


	16. Internship: Day 3 Part 2

_**he·ro**_

_**/ˈhirō/**_

_**noun  
A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.  
"a war hero"**_

_**Similar: brave man, champion, man of courage, great man, man of the hour, conquering hero, victor, winner, conqueror, lionheart, warrior, paladin, knight, white hat, chevalier, star, idol, superstar, megastar, celebrity, celebutante, luminary, lion, ideal, ideal man, paragon, exemplar, shining example, perfect example, favorite, darling, knight in shining armor, knight on a white charger, beau ideal, celeb**_

_**Opposite: coward, loser**_

_**North American:]**_

_**another term for submarine (sense 2 of the noun).**_

* * *

Mayumi heard an odd sound, like that of crackling electricity before seeing a green glow up ahead of her. She furrowed her eyebrows as she continued running, not stopping in the slightest in hopes of catching up to her classmate.

'_Midoriya's a lot faster than I thought he was,'_ the teen thought, sweat trickling down the side of her face. '_I wonder what that light's from. Did he have a flashlight?'_

Shaking her head, the girl pushed on, determined to keep to her silent promise. With those Nomu tearing up the city, she didn't want to leave the boy alone. It wasn't long before she rounded another corner to be greeted with a sight that confused and terrified the tan teen, making her retreat quickly back behind the wall and peer around.

There stood a man in a red scarf and white bandage-looking material around his face, sword in hand. The gentleman glared down at Midoriya, who stood defensively in front of Iida, who lay motionless on the ground along with what seemed to be a pro hero. Blood pooled from the blue-haired boy's shoulder at an alarming rate.

"You found him, too?" the class rep asked, voice strained and weak. "But how?"

"I saw it on TV," Izuku replied, eyes never leaving his opponent. Seemed they hadn't noticed her yet. "They had some stats about the Hero Killer. Most of his victims were found where there weren't many people, so, in order to find you, I needed to search far away from the panic. In the back alleys of Hosu city! Let's go! Back towards the street. We have to get help from the pros."

"I.. I can't move my body. It must be his quirk.. Since he cut me, I've been paralyzed."

"That's the kind of quirk people on TV said the Hero Killer might have. So, cutting somehow activates his power, huh?"

He made a small gasp as he, too, noticed the other person injured.

"Midoriya, please.. Don't get involved. This doesn't have anything to do with you!.."

"Iida.. What are you saying?"

"You showed up to save your friend's life," the Hero Killer started. "You even made a big entrance. But I have a duty to kill him and this so-called 'pro'. Your friend chose to fight me. It guaranteed that the weaker than us would be culled."

Mayu shivered at the look they received from the man. He sure was serious, though, it wasn't like she expected anything less from the reports.

"So, what will you do?"

Midoriya thought for a bit, and the girl saw that he had his phone behind his back. She could guess what he was doing, but saying such would alert his opponent to the action as well.

Swallowing her fear, Storms walked out from her hiding place and stood beside her acquaintance. He was startled, to say the least, by her sudden appearance.

"Where did you come from, Storms?" he asked.

She shrugged, examining the adult before them.

"I followed you after you ran off from those Nomu-looking guys. I thought you might need my help in case one attacked you. I'm glad I've been training with Aizawa, or else I might never have caught up with you."

She could see the gears turning in his emerald gaze, going over the possibilities in outcomes with the new assistance with her quirks. Perhaps she could talk their way out of this? Or at least make the killer less agitated than he seemed to be. If anything, her atom manipulation could help them evade the swiftness of his sword when fighting. Either way, the added assistance boosted their chances of survival, if only a little.

"Listen to me," Iida cried. "Stand down. Run away. I told you, this has nothing to do with you!"

"You really believed that, then why are you trying to become a hero in the first place?! Meddling when you don't need to is the essence of being a hero!"

This seemed to amuse the villain before them as he let out a short chuckle. The greenette then ran forward, not deterred by the raising of his sword. As he sprang on the last step, green electricity encased his body all over, giving him a boost. However, before he could get close enough, the man began to pull out a second blade.

"No! If you get cut-!"

In the knick of time, the young boy slipped between the male's legs seemingly unharmed. Mayumi let out a sigh of relief. This didn't stop the villain from swinging down onto the kid, only to find him no longer in place. He was above the man, ready to punch him.

"The five percent! Detroit Smash!"

The Hero Killer was shoved down into the ground harshly with surprising strength from Izuku. The victory didn't last long, though, as he suddenly collapsed, unable to move.

"You're not powerful enough," he said, standing up once more. "Not that you predicted my movements, just left my field of vision, but maneuvered so that you'd be able to get in a clean shot. But I saw through your plan. There are countless false heroes around here who are all talk, but I think you're worthy of staying alive. You're different from these two."

Stain stood in front of Iida, and Mayu wasn't sure what to do. If she went in to touch him, he'd cut her, then she'd be useless, too. If she didn't do anything, however, she'd be just as useless, and Iida would die.

"Wait.. Don't-! Stop it!"

Gritting her teeth, the redheaded teen ran at him, only to be backhanded like a pesky fly being swatted. She roughly made contact with the ground.

"And you.. How pathetic." He approached her. "When I saw you before.. Well, I thought you had some potential. Now, seeing you just stand there while your friend did the fighting.. It makes me sick. You're worse than those two. You're weak."

He grabbed her roughly by her hair, yanking her up off the ground. The cold bite of the blade was placed against her neck as he sneered at her as she gave a short cry of pain.

"I'll be sure to kill you first. The weak don't deserve to call themselves heroes."

Mayumi's green-ish grey eyes were scrunched up as she felt like he was going to tear her hair out by the roots, but she managed to open one to look directly into his eyes. Her hands clasped his offending appendage seemingly to attempt to relieve some of the discomfort.

"P-please.." she weakly begged, doing her best to look and sound pathetic and fearful. "Let me go, mister."

His own orbs seemed to glaze over for a moment as he stared back into her pleading pools, her quirk making quick work of his malicious intent. She could feel his grip loosen on her locks as he became more subdued. She was sure he was under her control-

Fire roared towards them, making Stain throw the Storms teen aside and jump to safety.

"Someone else to get in my way," the killer grumbled, no longer showing the signs of being influenced from the Charisma. "Today's been full of distractions."

"Midoriya," Todoroki Shouto said, holding up his phone. "You need to give more details in times like this. I was almost too late to stop this guy."

"Y-you, too, Todoroki?" Iida asked weakly.

"How'd you get here?" Midoriya looked surprised. "Hold on. You're using your left side?"

"How'd I get here? Good question. Your message took me a while to figure out. Next time, try to send more than just your specific location. But you're not really one to send cryptic messages without a reason, are you?"

Ice shout out over the ground, starting from the bi-colored teen. Stain jumped over it fluidly. The ice raised the others off the ground.

"So I figured you were in trouble and asking for help. Everything's okay. The pro heroes will be here any minute!"

An ice ramp slid Midoriya and Native out of range of the fire to safety. Mayu got to her feet and went to check on them, wanting to be of some use in the situation. As Todoroki kept the Hero Killer occupied, the tan teen knelled down beside her classmate.

"Are you alright, Midoriya?"

"I'm fine," he reassured. "I just can't move. Todoroki! You can't let that guy get your blood! I.. I think he controls his enemy's actions by swallowing it! That's how he got us."

"He ingests blood to keep people from moving. That explains the blades. All I gotta do is keep my distance."

As they proceeded to fight once more, Iida once more tried to talk them into leaving.

The Storms teen gasped as smaller blades sunk into her peer's arm. It looked bad, but he kept moving.

"You're good, kid. Unlike _him_."

As he brought down his sword on Native, Midoriya was up and grabbed him by his scarf, dragging Stain against the wall.

"I'm not sure why, but I'm able to move now!"

"So, he has a time limit?"

"No. That kid should have been the last one to be freed. I still can't move a muscle."

Stain elbowed off the young greenette. Shoto warned him to dodge before sending more ice the Hero Killer's way.

"He swallows a person's blood to freeze them, but I was the one freed first. I got three different guesses why. His quirk could be less effective the more people he uses it on, the amount ingested could play into how long it works, or there could even be a difference based on the person's blood type."

"If it's the last one.. My blood type is B."

"I'm.. type A."

"So, you've figured it out. Bravo. Very impressive."

"It doesn't really help us to know how his quirk works, though."

"I thought we could hurry and carry those two out of here, but it's no good. He's too fast. He can dodge ice and fire. I'd have to leave myself unguarded."

"And I doubt he'll fall for my quirk again," Mayu added. "He's avoided me since I used it before. And, unless I can get close enough, my other quirk's worthless, too. I haven't trained much in using it long-distance."

"Our best option is to hold, and avoid close-combat."

"No," Izuku countered. "You know you've lost way too much blood. I'll distract him while you support me from behind. Storms, you stay by Iida and Native. Keep them safe and out of the line of fire. Sound like a plan?"

"Right."

"You want us to take a pretty big risk," the half-and-half boy pointed out. "Okay. We can protect them."

"Two against one, huh? This fight won't be easy."

Mayumi watched in slight awe as her classmates bravely took on a man who's killed more heroes than most villains. They were determined and had more resolve than she'd seen anyone else have, save for her father when he had promised..

_A young Mayu rubbed her eyes as tears cascaded down her red cheeks, her tiny hand clasped securely in her father's warm palm. They both donned black clothes as rain pelted down on the cemetery and the funeral that was in progress. Not many people were there, as Heide hadn't wanted to overwhelm his daughter with strangers after her mother's death. She still didn't know how to handle her newfound quirk, after all._

_As those gathered began to leave, umbrellas in hand, the galaxy-haired male knelled down to his child's height, not caring if his pants became muddy. He let go of her hand to place his own on her shoulder, giving her as warm as a smile as he could._

_Mayu sniffled, continuing to cry and hiccup._

_Heide tilted her chin up so that she was looking at him._

"_Hey, it's okay, sweetheart. I'm here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, or me, alright? Daddy's got you. We're fine."_

_Trying to suck up her tears, the little redheaded girl's greenish grey eyes stared deeply into his star-filled gaze. She could feel that he wasn't using his quirk, but she stopped sobbing nonetheless._

"_P-promi-ise?" she weakly asked._

"_Of course, Mayu," came the reassuring reply before he pulled her into a hug. "So long as I'm here, nothing will harm you again."_

_This made the girl nuzzle close to him, eyes shutting and missing the salty crystals that dripped from the adult of the two. His voice grew slightly shaky, but she paid it no mind, as it held much conviction and determination._

"_I promise with all my heart..."_

Mayumi was pulled out of her thoughts as Iida started to move.

"Huh? You just got feeling back! You should stay still and recover, Iida!"

Ignoring her, his engines roared to life, propelling him forward in time to break the sword before it could chop off Todoroki's arm. He then proceeded to kick the Hero Killer away from his school mate.

"Iida," Midoriya cried in disbelief.

"You're free, too? Guess his quirk isn't as good as I thought it was."

"Todoroki, Midoriya, Storms.. This has nothing to do with you. I apologize."

"Come on.. Not this again."

"I'm okay, but I won't let the three of you shed any more blood for me."

"It's no use trying to pretend to be a hero now. A person's true nature doesn't change in just a few minutes. You'll never be anything but a fraud who prioritizes his own desires. You're the sickness that infected society and ruined the name 'hero'. Someone must teach you a lesson."

"You're a fundamentalist lunatic. Iida, don't listen to this murderer's nonsense."

"No, he's completely correct. I have no right to call myself a hero at all. Even so, there's no way I can back down. If I give up now, then the name 'Ingenium' will die."

"Pathetic!"

Todoroki pushed Iida aside and sent another burst of fire the villain's way.

"Idiots!" Native cried out. "The Hero Killer is only after me and that kid in the white armor! Stop fighting back! Just get out of here!"

"I don't think he'd let me run, even if I wanted to," Shoto shot back. "Something clearly changed in him just now. He seems radical."

Suddenly, the bluenette perked up and turned to the tan girl.

"Storms, your second quirk allows you to regulate atoms, right?"

"Uh, well, something like that, yes. Why?"

"I need you to cool down my legs for me without creating ice that will plug up the exhaust!"

"You're in the way!"

Stain jumped out over the fire and threw another dagger Todoroki's way, only for Iida to block it with his arm.

"No, Iida!"

"Why won't you stay down?!"

"Iida!"

"Just do it! Hurry!"

Complying, Mayumi placed a hand on each of his engines and focused on what she wanted the atoms to do. She willed them to slow down from their erratic shaking, and a thin layer of frost coated the metal. A burst of black smoke emitted from the pipes before clearing again.

"Done!"

He then grabbed the blade embedded in his arm with his mouth, yanking it from his flesh. He and Izuku seemed to coordinate an attack without consulting one another, both shooting in the air and kicked/punched the villain with all their might.

Still conscious, Stain struck Iida once more before he delivered another powerful blow before a wave of fire engulfed him from the bi-colored teen.

Shoto used his ice to catch them both as they fell.

"Stand up. Keep fighting."

Glancing up, it appeared as though the villain was unconscious. The four examined him from a distance, ready for him to spring back up at any moment.

"He's got to be knocked out after all that," Midoriya offered, standing up after a pause. "Right?"

Todoroki sighed.

"Then, let's restrain him and get him to the street. Maybe we can find some rope."

"Yeah. And we should probably take all his weapons, too."

"Good idea."

* * *

"Native, can you move?" inquired Midoriya.

"Yeah. I think I'm as good as new now."

"You sure?"

"I saw you hurt your leg back there. At least let me do this for you."

"Thank you very much."

"I should be thanking you."

"We're lucky someone threw this in the dumpster," Todoroki said, talking about the rope the four found.

"Todoroki, I can drag him from here."

"Are you forgetting that your arms are messed up?"

"I'll do it," Mayu offered. "I'm the least hurt out of us all."

"I have to apologize," Native said. "I'm supposed to be a pro, but I was useless back there."

"No.. I don't think any one person could take the Hero Killer on, with that weird quirk of his. He was too strong."

"The four of us barely won against him, and, even then, it was only because of his own mistakes. He was getting riled and desperate, and forgot all about Midoriya's quick recovery time. Then, he wasn't able to block Iida's Reciveral Burst, or Midoriya's assault."

"Right. Let's get him to the police as fast as we can."

"What are you doing, here, boy?" an elderly voice called.

"Grande Torino! I was only-"

The elder man in the yellow and white suit jumped and kicked the greenette in the face.

"I told you to stay on the bullet train!"

"Who's this?"

"Grande Torino, the hero I'm interviewing with.. I don't get it… How'd you find us?"

"I was told to come here by someone else. I have no idea what's going on, but I'm glad you're not dead, at least."

"Um, me, too. And, I'm sorry."

"Tck."

"Around the corner!"

This voice caught all of their attention. The group turned to see more pros heading their way.

"Endeavour told us there was a request for help here, but.."

"Children?" another asked in confusion.

"Those injuries look bad. I'll call an ambulance right away."

"Huh? Hey, look!"

"Huh?! Is that..?! The Hero Killer?!"

"What?"

"I'll.. get the police on the line."

Iida bowed to the three of them, ignoring a hero who told him to sit down to wait for the ambulance.

"You were all hurt, because of me. I'm truly sorry.. I was just so angry… I couldn't.. see anything else."

Midoriya's face softened.

"I'm sorry, too, Iida. You were going through so much by yourself, and I couldn't tell anything was wrong. Even though I'm your friend."

This made the glasses-wearing teen cry a bit harder than he was previously.

"Hey, pull yourself together. You're the class rep."

Mayu sighed. "We understand, Iida. Some more than others.." She trailed off before speaking again. "Revenge is.. tempting to everyone, but we have to learn to look past it. If not for ourselves, for the sake of those who care about us. Without them, we would lose ourselves completely."

"Right.." He used his arm to wipe at his face.

"Get down!" a shout rang out.

"Oh, no!"

Looking up, people began to notice one of the Nomu, this one with wings and an injured eye. It dove down and snatched up an unsuspecting Izuku in its talons.

"Hey, let go!"

"It's bleeding! It must be trying to escape!"

Quite suddenly, it started froze up mid-air, leaving the greenette to shout in surprise.

"The word 'hero' has lost all meaning in this society! The world's overrun by fakes and criminals like you who chase idle dreams!"

Stain cut the wing off of the creature, grounding it for good. His escape was swift, yet he chose to protect Midoriya, one of the kids who took him down.

"You must all be purged.. Everything that I do.." He yanked his dagger out of the Nomu's brain it had been lodged in. "-is to create a stronger society."

Everyone was paralyzed with fear, unable to tear their gazes away from the scene before them.

"Did he just save that kid?"

"He took him hostage, idiot!"

"He killed that guy with no hesitation."

"Everyone, be on your guard! We got a fight on our hands!"

"Why are you all standing around like fools?" the number two hero scolded. "The villain must have flown this way, right?"

"You took care of the rest?"

"Mostly. Things got a little rough at the end. Hold on.. Don't tell me that man is.."

"Let me go!"

Stain panted and glared at the fiery man.

"Endeavour.."

"Hero Killer!"

"Wait, Todoroki!" Grande Torino shouted.

The white mask he had been hiding from fell to the street below, causing many people's breathes to hitch in their throat. His face was deformed, and his large, bloodshot red eyes held an emotion so strong that it kept most rooted to their place.

"You false hero! I'll make this right! These streets must run with the blood of hypocrites! Hero! I will reclaim that word! Come on! Just try and stop me, you fakes! There is only one man I'll let kill me! He is a true hero. ALL MIGHT IS WORTHY!"

After his outburst, nothing could be heard except the clinging of metal on stone. Stain had dropped his weapon, halted in his advance on the second-ranked hero. His eyes were empty, just white abysses.

"...I think he's.. out cold," the fire-coated male said.

People collapsed with relief, yet no one made a move to do anything. All eyes stayed on the villain as though expecting him to finish his speech, although, one could argue it ended just as well before he stopped.

Mayumi felt her body tremble in place. She had never felt such intensity in all her life, not even when her father attacked her. It was so raw and animalistic that she couldn't help but cower like the rest.

_His message would encourage criminals to come._


	17. Internship: Day 4

_**Jail**_

_**/jāl/**_

_**noun**_

_**a place for the confinement of people accused or convicted of a crime.  
"he served 15 months in jail"**_

_**verb**_

_**put (someone) in jail.  
"the driver was jailed for two years"**_

* * *

Mayumi stepped out of the police car and stared up at the imposing building before her. Seeing the place up-close made her nerves buzz. Never before did she think she'd be here under these circumstances.

"Right this way," the police woman said, gently touching her elbow as a polite way of making the teen walk.

"Sorry," she apologized automatically, following her escort.

She had been told to wear something that would obscure her face so the public wouldn't take notice that a U.A. student was being taken to the local prison for their area. It would seem odd, certainly, but it wasn't like she was being locked up. The police had little choice but to bring the tan girl in, if only to calm the storm brewing inside the walls.

Everything was so orderly to Mayu as she walked down grey hallways with blinding, white lights. Every so often would be another check-point where badges were checked, I.D.'s secured, and locks had to be opened to allow them to make their way deeper into the building until they reached the heart of it all.

Several booth-like stations were set up with chairs and phones so that visitors could speak with prisoners, but it was emptied out for this occasion. Sure, guards and police officers stood about, ready to listen in on the conversation to come, as well as Naomasa Tsukauchi, the detective who was there after the USJ event. Of course he was here. It was that same event that brought the redheaded girl here in the first place.

The lady walking her led her to one of the stalls, instructing her to sit down and offering to stand beside her in case she felt frightened. Mayumi politely declined her offer, stating that she was fine on her own. A few words were exchanged between guards and officers before they all straightened up, and guns were trained on the door furthest away from the entrance.

There were shouts followed by bangs and loud footsteps. It sounded like a herd of elephants trying to run from several mice running at their feet. It wasn't long before the door on the prisoner's side was opened and a man burst out.

His blue eyes widened as he saw the girl sitting patiently at the window, jaw slacking in disbelief. She could barely see his chest move as the man drew in a shaky breath, guards quickly catching up to him and grabbing his arms, but this seemed to go over the man's head completely as he never looked away from the girl.

"It's you," he whispered to himself. "It's really you! Goddess!" He lunged forward without warning, pulling out of the many guards' hands and stumbled his way over to her. As fast as he could, he pulled out the chair, sat down, grabbed the phone, and pressed it to his ear.

"Every hour without you felt like an eternity!" he rambled. "No matter what I said, they refused to let me see you! So when they told me you were here, I didn't trust a word! But here you are! Oh, how I missed you, my sweet goddess!"

The teen wrinkled her nose in disgust at the grovelling male opposite of her. She recognized him, if just barely, as one of the villains she manipulated into helping her. The police had taken all the attackers from the USJ event away, not allowing her to remove her quirk's effects before-hand. It pained her to see how far it had warped him at this point.

Hesitantly, she nodded and lowered the phone, looking to one of the officers close-by. She kept her voice quiet so as not to raise the criminal's suspicions.

"I'm supposed to ask him about his boss and all, right? Get whatever information I can?"

Her response was a thumbs up from the officer after a brief chat with the detective.

Mayumi gave a trembling sigh as she strengthened her resolve. She could do this..

Raising the phone back to her mouth, the teen flashed him one of her best smiles.

"It's nice to see you again, as well, er.."

"Itsuki!" he happily replied, not caring that she didn't know his name already.

"Ah, I see.. Is spelled with the characters meaning 'one and only happiness'? (喜)"

He shook his head rapidly.

"'One and only hope' (希)," he quickly corrected.

"Right.."

"Just like you are to me, my goddess! The thought of seeing you again once I get out of here is the only thing keeping me going! It's all that I can do to bear the weight of being away from your side!"

As the man continued on his chattering, Mayumi let her mind drift a bit. If he carried on like this the entire time, it would be dinner before they would be able to get down to business. That would be the entire day wasted instead of more training with Aizawa. Although, her sensei was probably still miffed about her being involved with the Hero Killer incident, and the reprimanding given to her separately from her male classmates seeing as they had different hospital rooms overnight.

The sound of tapping drew her out of her thoughts some time later as she glanced in the direction. An officer motioned to their watch, probably eager to get the show on the road so they could continue on with their life.

Sighing, the girl's demeanor shifted from pleasantly nodding along to a more somber feel.

"Itsuki, I need your help," she began. "You see, I'm very upset, and only you have the power to make me feel better."

"What is it, my goddess? I'll do anything!"

She looked at his eager countenance and pouted as cutely as she could. It may appear childish to the grown-ups around her, but her father always said her pouts were irresistible.

"You remember how we met, don't you?"

"How could I forget?"

"Yes, well, those mean people who accompanied you injured my friends, and not all of the ones responsible were caught. I was hoping you would be a dear and tell me everything you know about them."

The instant dulling of the man's enthusiastic and desperate eyes didn't go unnoticed by her. She'd seen it before, without a doubt. His mind was putting up a fight. The hesitance was clear as day in his voice.

"You.. want to know about that?.."

The guards on his side straightened up, having gone lax with how care-free he had become. Now, they pointed their barrels directly on the male should he lash out. Even the police seemed to sense the tension that was growing.

"Yes, Itsuki. I want to know all about them."

Quite suddenly, his uncertainty jumped to rage. He flew out of his seat, slamming his hands down on the counter as the phone clattered out of his grasp. Spit flew out of his mouth as his skin flushed an irritated shade of rouge. The loud bang startled Mayumi.

"Why do you need to know about them?! All you need is me! No one else! Do you understand?!"

The teen tried to quell her fear. This was a standard reaction to too much time under her quirk's influence. Obsession was a dangerous slope. She had to phrase things carefully lest she set off the man to the point of pure insanity.

Slowly, she motioned for him to take the receiver back into his possession, doing her best to calm her rapidly racing heart. She did her best to keep her face level and neutral, even going so far as to lean closer to the glass in a way that jutted her chest out more for his attention. Once he eventually complied with her silent command, she made her voice sound as honey-coated as possible.

"Hey, it's okay, Itsuki," she reassured, using his name as much as possible to personalize her sentence. "We all get angry. I understand. I don't want to know about those other men for me. I want to have them taken into custody. They're bad men who wanted to harm my classmates. You're not like them at all. In fact, once we bring them in, I'm sure the police will reward you for your cooperation. Maybe even lessen your time in jail. Then, we could be together faster. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Taking a moment to let her words and quirk sink back into his mind, the now soothed man picked his seat back up and sat down, satiated by her comforting statement.

"That sounds.. Good," he nodded, agreeing.

"Good. Now, why don't you start from the beginning?"

Tsukauchi watched in amazement as the fifteen-year-old student handled the criminal with the ease of a professional. Sure, she set him off not but a moment ago, but she quickly quelled the man's hesitation and rage like she was used to it. Seeing as she had been home-schooled most of her entire life, he wasn't sure how she came to learn to handle those deep under her power's draw-backs.

It seemed he wasn't the only one to be aware of her potential, either.

"Wow," the officer beside him said. "I can't wait for her to become a hero. With her quirk, and our lie-detector man back at the station, getting confessions and information from criminals will be a walk in the park!"

"I know," Naomasa replied.

"Think of the lives she'll save.."

* * *

_**A.N.: I know this was short and long-awaited, but my schedule's been crazy for work, I've been exhausted, and we found black mold in our floors. I should be getting my cyst removed in two weeks, though, so I'll have an entire week and a half for recovery, which will give me more time to work on this book.**_


End file.
